


Mechanical Heart

by JellyfishWitch



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action & Romance, Alcohol, Angst and Feels, Betrayal, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood friends grow appart and turn into different people, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Grieving for the past, Hinted Eruri, Hurt/Comfort, Lovers To Enemies, Pining, Political Alliances, Slow Burn, star-crossed lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:14:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29818572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JellyfishWitch/pseuds/JellyfishWitch
Summary: From a thief living in the Underground to humanity's strongest soldier, Captain Levi is known for his otherworldly skills killing titans and maneuvering the ODM gear. Now, as the Survey Corps fight for freedom, he must face his past and the woman who started it all.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Original Character(s), Levi Ackerman & Original Female Character(s), Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith, Levi Ackerman/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 9





	1. Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, thanks for checking the story out, I hope you like it! This fic closely follows canon events up to S4 of the anime, but I will introduce a spoiler warning when that part is reached in case you haven't caught up with it. It's my first fic so constructive criticism, suggestions and all that jazz are more than welcomed. Even though there are timeskips, I've made sure to introduce events from canon to situate you in the story rather than specific dates, but let me know if it is still confusing.

He wasn't looking for trouble that day.

The scenery was the same as always, dust rising and settling with every footstep he took, the dim lanterns hanging from the houses being the only source of light in the Underground, the cold air gently stroking the young man's face as he moved forward.

He wasn't heading anywhere in particular either, just a stroll around the city. There was nothing pleasant about observing the poverty and decadence present in the Underground, yet he found it somewhat comforting to be able to walk around with no destination. But the Underground was still a cage, and every route ended at the cold walls of the cave that hosted it.

He was vigilant during his walks. Violence was always present, and he could not allow himself to be careless. That's the kind of thing that would get anyone killed in the Underground. Despite his young age and small frame, he had a reputation, and not a good one, which offered him some level of protection against mindless robbers and other minor thugs. He also didn't involve himself in unnecessary fights. As he walked, he could hear shouting and rioting behind him, but he wasn't keen on playing the hero.

Some of the aggressive sounds grew closer to him, and he could feel rumbling footsteps accompanying them. From the corner of his eye, he could distinguish three major silhouettes chasing a smaller one. He simply ignored the persecution, and to avoid getting in their way, he walked towards the side of the path and continued his stroll unbothered.

But it seemed like the situation did not ignore him. He felt a small figure rapidly passing next to him, dropping the strap of a heavily loaded cloth bag over his head, which ended up wrapped around his torso. After abandoning the cargo on the innocent wanderer, the figure ran into a house nearby. As he took off the bag and attempted to chase after the scoundrel, he realized the previous three chasers were now coming after him. They were getting dangerously close. Running away was not an option for him.

He struck the first one to arrive with a kick in the stomach, which made him drop to the floor from the impact, and while the other two caught up with their already fallen comrade, he unhooked the knife from his belt and removed the cover from the edge, ready to battle. The two remaining men did not seem to be good fighters, but their intimidating size was an advantage that the young boy did not possess.

While the first man was still on the ground, the other two took left and right positions from the wanderer, fiercely looking into the boy's grey eyes. He was not scared, but also did not want to deliver the first strike. As one of the thugs prepared to punch him, the small figure that had previously run into the house, jumped from the ceiling of the building, landing onto the attacker's head, and knocking him unconscious. The boy used the confusion to attack the remaining thug, hitting him on the throat with his elbow.

As the three men were now unfit to keep fighting, he turned around, ready to face the causer of all this mess; he distinguished them to be a girl, slightly younger than him, still recovering from the landing. Before he could even articulate a word, she stood up and sprinted towards his right flank. The first thug had managed to get up, and while he was still half ached and in no position to win a fair fight, he seemed ready to attempt it anyway. The girl quickly undid the bun fastening her hair by removing a metal needle and wrapped her fist around the artifact. She then got closer to the attacker and sank her weaponized hand into his torso. After a moment of staggering, the man dropped to the floor. The young boy simply watched the scene unravel, as it was not his fight, and the swirled dust from the encounter had already smudged his clothes enough.

Still heavily breathing from the adrenaline of the battle, the girl cleaned the metal needle with her black shirt and used it to put her light brown hair back into a bun. She then turned towards the innocent wanderer she had incriminated, which allowed him to get a clearer view of the scoundrel. She had a round face and the characteristic pale skin of someone who had grown up in the Underground, which remarked the dark circles under her brown eyes.

She approached him with a soft smile, while also slightly bending over to grab the cloth bag.

"Sorry for the troub-" Before she could finish the sentence, the young boy delivered a powerful slap across her face, making her drop to the floor.

* * *

The sunlight entered the room through a glass window, which was divided into small crystal sections forming a delicate, geometrical patterning, which split the light all in all directions and enveloped the place in its entirety. It was a spacious area, tainted in soft blue tones, with not a speck of dust to be present.

It was not an impressively decorated space, considering the other ostentatious mansions that populated the Ehrmich district inside Wall Sheena. There were no portraits, expensive ceramics, or chandeliers. The mobiliary mostly consisted of a fireplace surrounded by velvet chairs, a long oak dining table, and a bigger, tilted table facing the wall opposite to the fireplace. The tilted table was covered in large papers that depicted carefully designed blueprints of military gear. Graphite and drawing supplies were spread out on top of a small cupboard next to the workstation.

A woman in an emerald green dress was sitting on a blue-toned chaise lounge, facing the door that connected the room with the rest of the house. The woman gently stroked a strand of hair that had fallen out from her low bun, tightened by a metal needle. She then bent over to reach the coffee table in front of her and grabbed a small ceramic cup filled with black tea. She had barely touched the side of the cup with her lips when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and a middle-aged lieutenant from the Military Police entered the room. He was wearing the classic uniform, including the brown jacket with the embroidered unicorn.

"Chief Lhant, the Military Police Engineering department asks you to revise the designs of the new antipersonnel gear before manufacturing." The voice sounded confident in the statement. His eyes wandered through the room, observing its apparent luxury, before handing the papers to its inhabitant. The woman left the cup back on the table and grabbed the presented papers, which prompted the lieutenant to leave the room.

Working on top-secret military missions meant no days off for her.

* * *

"Okay, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she screamed covering her face and shriveling up to avoid another hit from the young boy. He ignored the three seemingly unconscious bodies around them and inspected the cloth bag lying on the floor. He didn't even bother kneeling next to it, instead, he just lightly kicked it to reveal some of its content, which seemed to be strangely shaped metal pieces.

"All of this for some junk?" he muttered "Is this what you eat? Trash?"

As it seemed like the boy would not strike again, she slowly moved her hands away from her face and got a clearer view of him. He was as pale as any other inhabitant of the Underground, with dark hair. His eyes were small, and he had a blank expression on his face, not even anger or disgust towards her for putting him in such a dangerous situation.

She had seen him before.

"The only reason you are not getting beat up more is because I'm sure the friends of those guys you pissed off will take care of that." He turned around, resuming his walk.

"You are… Kenny's kid." As the name escaped her lips, he stopped on his feet and slightly turned his head, only to find out that she had incorporated and was now charging towards him with a closed fist, aiming to strike at his face. She was just as tall as he was, but he was still able to stop the incoming punch with one hand. After all, she was tired from all the running and fighting. He effortlessly pushed her back with a swift move, and she fell once again on the floor. She was ashamed that he could beat her so easily, and this shame turned into anger, which made her want to fight the boy even more.

But the thug she had previously jumped onto to knock unconscious, growled. As much as she would've hoped to give the boy his retribution, her priorities were elsewhere. She quickly went towards the bag and put back as many pieces as possible, fastened it around her shoulder, and ran away from the scene. Once she was at a safe distance, she turned her head back, and the boy was gone.


	2. The Deal

"You are a real piece of work, Levi." Said Farlan while running his fingers through his blond hair. "What were you thinking, messing around with Richard's men?"

Levi seemed unbothered by the comment. Sitting on a wooden chair, he kept sharpening his rusty, but still functional knife. His comrade, Farlan, was standing next to him, looking at his calm labor with disapproval.

"It was self-defense," said the boy.

"Well, now we will need to keep our heads low for a while, so less money for us," Farlan sighed. "The others are not going to like it."

The third and youngest integrator of the group, Yan, was lying on a beige mattress, looking up to the wooden ceiling. He then decided to slowly stand up, as his leg had been hurting for the past days.

"Maybe I can suggest something to make matters easier for now." The other two boys looked at him. "I've been scouting around the east part. Remember that seamstress shop? I noticed that one of the houses next to it had no lights or people around for a couple of weeks. Not to be disrespectful, but maybe there is no one…alive there."

"And if there is?" argued Levi, still playing with his knife.

"Then we pretend to be a pair of drunks who got into the wrong house," Yan smirked at the thought of it, while the other two stared at him with a blank expression. "Come on guys, it probably hasn't been raided yet, we should search for supplies before others come up with the same idea."

Farlan looked at Levi, searching for his approval. He was always the one that complained the most with any plan, no matter how simple or safe it was in the first place.

"He has a point. If we downgrade the other's pays, they won't trust us anymore and we will probably be out of manpower for the next heists."

The boy stopped playing with the knife. He put it back into the small scabbard and fastened it onto his belt before giving his verdict.

"East side, huh?"-he stood up- "very well, but you two will act as the drunks."

The trio stood in front of the seamstress shop. The owner had died some months back, and the entire building had already been scavenged for food and supplies. In the Underground, someone's death usually meant that their inventory would be left unsupervised. If one were to be quick enough, they could get their hands on their personal belongings before the deceased's family or friends. Not even the dead were respected in the gruesome city.

Despite his difficulty walking, Yan was the one leading the way towards one of the nearer houses. Bringing him to these types of operations was always a risk, but if they were to play drunks as an escape plan, his abnormal gait would make it more believable.

"This is the one," announced Yan. The house was a one-floor, stone and cast construction. Despite its irregular look from the outside, it also seemed to be sturdy and well made. There was one small, wooden-framed window carved on the front side, with no curtains. Farlan approached the window, but the interior of the house was indistinguishable due to the lack of light. No one seemed to be inside. At least alive.

"So…do we knock?" said the blond.

"Dunno, you are the drunks here," answered Levi, shrugging.

"Alright then...HELLO?" screamed Yan as he opened the front door. "WE ARE HOME!"

Farlan followed him inside, and once both boys ensured that no one was there, they made a sign for Levi to enter as well.

The house had no decorations besides a wooden set of chairs, shelves, and a table. There was no mattress, just some old, dusty blankets piled up in a corner. They inspected the shelves and looked for hidden crates, hoping to find something other than rags.

"Seems like the place has been picked up clean…" said Farlan.

"In what world do you call this clean?" said Levi, passing a finger over the dusty table. "But it doesn't seem like anyone else had the same idea of breaking in, otherwise not even those ugly chairs would be here."

"What do you suggest then?" asked Yan.

Levi wandered through the room before approaching the window to make sure that this was not an ambush. On his way, one of the wooden floor panels creaked loudly, startling Yan. He made a sign to his other two companions to be quiet, while he knelt next to the panel and knocked on it lightly. It was hollow, and his knock was followed by noise on the other side.

"Yan, get a lantern ready," instructed Levi as he removed the knife from his belt and cover. Farlan approached him and both gently removed the panel. Once it was gone, a staircase was revealed, leading to another room below.

"Are we sure about this, Levi?" asked Farlan, with a worried expression in his eyes.

"Just be ready to bring out your best acting performance."

Yan joined his two comrades with a lit-up lamp, which Levi grabbed before slowly entering the basement. The other two followed him down the stairs. As they were about to inspect the newly discovered area, a figure from behind the staircase jumped onto Jan, wrapping their arms around his neck, and pushed him onto the floor.

Farlan and Levi quickly assisted his companion by grabbing each one of the stranger's arms, pushing the attacker towards the basement's wall. Once the stranger was pinned against the building, Levi pointed his knife to their neck to ensure no sudden moves.

Even with only the light from the dropped lantern, the face of the attacker was clear. It was the same girl Levi had faced some days before. With the same anger showing in her dark eyes, she shook her legs, trying to break free from the boys' grip. Levi responded by drawing the knife closer to her neck.

"You really like getting in trouble, don't you?" said Levi.

"You know her?" asked Farlan.

"Not exactly, but she knows Kenny, apparently." Once Levi mentioned the old man's name, the girl screamed in response.

"Ehm…guys…I think she is from the Survey Corps" interrupted Yan. In one hand, he had the lantern, and on the other one, a green cape with the distinct wings of freedom stitched on it.

"Don't touch that! I'll kill you…I'll kill you!" she screamed.

"No way, she is too young and too weak, she is probably just a good thief," said Farlan.

"Then…what about this?" Yan moved the lantern, illuminating the back of the room. Facing the wall there was a big, wooden table covered with spare parts and mechanisms. But the one that caught the trio's attention was the round, wired-up metal coil in the center. "That's what they use to move around, right?"

Both Farlan and Levi stared at each other and then at the girl, who was simply looking down.

"Please, I will give you food and…whatever else, just…don't take that…please…" she muttered.

After a brief pause, Levi decided to intervene, "Yan, give me some of that wire hanging over there."

Yan nodded and brought the wire from one of the hangers next to the table. With help from Farlan, Levi tied up her feet and hands and attached his knife back to the belt.

"What are you going to do to me?" whispered the girl, with no trace of the furious rage that had possessed her before.

"For now, let's just talk," answered Levi. He then signed Farlan to join Yan in exploring the rest of the room. "First of all, how do you know Kenny?"

The girl didn't reply and just looked away from her captor.

"Did he hurt you?" as he received no response, Levi sighed. "Of course he did, that's the only thing he does."

"He is a monster. I hate him. And I hate you."

"Well, I hate him too, we are not…close anymore." Levi wasn't surprised at the girl's reveal. In the end, Kenny had ruined many people's lives, including his. The girl didn't seem to be comforted by his response. Levi could still feel that if it weren't for the wire around her limbs, she would've already tried to strangle him at least twice. "You are not part of the Survey Corps I take it"-the girl shook her head- "then how come you have their gear?"

"I just…found it," she replied. The other two boys turned around as she spoke. Farlan approached her.

"You are fixing…Mobility gear?" said the blond, with a surprised expression on his face. "Is that your plan to escape the Underground? You know you still need a permit to live above, right?"

"I don't…want to live above, I just want to fix it," she replied looking down again.

"That's some stupid logic someone smart enough to build mobility gear," said Levi. He thought the girl he had blushed at his compliment, but it could've also been her getting even angrier at him.

"What do you want from me?"

"Does the gear work? Can you use it?" asked Farlan.

"I mean, yes, kind of, I just need to find a way to fill up the gas canisters and adjust the pressure of the…"

"Oi oi oi, he asked whether it works," said Levi, stopping her as she drifted into a monologue.

"Yes," she replied. Farlan and Levi looked at each other for a moment.

"Yan, look after her for a bit, Levi and I will be upstairs," instructed Farlan.

Yan nodded, and the other two boys went back up to the house.

"This is more than what we were expecting. If we can get her to build some of those mobility gears for us…think of all the heists we could pull! No more running around the Underground! We could even go to the surface without paying those ridiculous taxes!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, we don't know yet if it actually works."

"Do you really think she would've protected it like that if it didn't?"

At Farlan's comment, Levi recalled how she had faced Richard's gang for just a bag of metal parts, "It might be important to her, that doesn't mean it works."

"Then we _encourage_ her to make it work." He smirked. "Come on Levi, you know this could make us the greatest band in the Underground, and we could easily dodge the authorities with that gear!"

"So, you suggest we take her in?"-Farlan nodded- "I have seen her fight. She is fast but impulsive. And her workspace is so dirty and messy…" lamented Levi.

"Just think of all the tea you could get if we were to rob the big fat guys from above," joked Farlan.

Levi looked towards the basement's entrance, pensive. Farlan was right about the advantages of the gear, but the girl didn't seem like someone who would easily trust them. However, no one in the Underground really trusted anyone. She also seemed to have a personal vendetta against him and Kenny, despite Kenny abandoning Levi almost ten years back. But if she knew something about the old man's whereabouts, she could help Levi get to him.

"Alright but let me do the talking. Remember that she hates Kenny, and hence me, so I'll try to make her see that we are on the same side," concluded Levi before going back to the basement.

Yan was waiting, and it seemed like the girl had stopped showing resistance to the wire ties. Levi kneeled in front of her. Getting a closer look, she must have been 17 or 18 years old, just a bit younger than him, despite being almost the same height.

"Let's make a deal"-she raised her eyebrows, in surprise- "we will help you find the parts or whatever you need for that gear. In exchange, you teach us how it works and let us use it."

"That's not a deal. That basically makes me your slave," she pointed out.

"You get protection, which seems like you need, especially after our first meeting." She rolled her eyes at the reference. "You will be part of our band, so you get a cut from our earnings and a shelter. You also get to fix that gear, which you apparently don't plan on using anyway." He made a pause to read out her expression, but she did not seem to react. "You hate Kenny, and so do I. I will help you fight him if that's what you want."

She appeared more pleased with the last part of the offer, "I didn't say I didn't want to use the gear, I just…don't want to live above," she muttered. "But since my other choice is probably getting beat up by you two…I agree."

"Oh, you think too ill of us," said Farlan as he joined the group down the stairs. "We are gentlemen first and foremost."

She looked at him and smirked, for the first time.

"I'm Levi, the blond gentleman over there is Farlan, and the guy you graciously attacked is Yan"-the boys shyly waved their hands as Levi introduced them- "and you are?"

"I'm Sophie, Sophie Lhant."


	3. Conflict

"There is still another condition to our deal," said Levi as they walked back to the gang's lair, carrying some of Sophie's material on their backs. Sophie shriveled as a response. She was still unsure about having accepted their offer on the spot. In the end, there was no reason for her to trust them or vice versa. "You better help in keeping the house clean. That filthy basement of yours is intolerable."

Sophie nodded and continued following the boys as she looked down to the dusty Underground street. She was completely at their mercy, as they were taking her and her most precious belongings to their territory. Nothing could guarantee that they would not kill her once she gave them what they wanted. On top of that, she was going to live under the same roof as Kenny's protégé. But what other option did she have? To keep hiding and risking her life for some metal scraps?

Once they arrived at the building, Farlan showed her around the area and helped her set up a mattress to sleep in the common dormitory, while Levi and Yan made a stew for dinner. Sophie and Farlan agreed to leave the gear and all the tools in their basement before setting up a proper workstation.

Dinner was served, and despite the tense situation, she could not contain her excitement for having her first real meal in a week. She had been essentially living out of food scraps, as working on the mobility gear did not allow her to spend half of the day looking for something to eat like the other Underground residents. Besides the occasional slurping and clinking sound of the spoons against the plate, there was complete silence around the table, illuminated by a lantern that acted as a centerfold.

Yan decided to break the ice, "So, how did you learn to fix all that machinery?"

"My dad was a carpenter down south, and Mum was a seamstress close to where we lived," Sophie answered, with stew still in her mouth, a behavior that made Levi growl in disappointment. "So, I guess I know a thing or two about handiwork".

Farlan frowned at her response. The fact that she had so easily joined a couple of strangers, in addition to the abandoned seamstress shop that they encountered before arriving at the basement, set in stone the suspicion that she truly had no one else to turn to. Not that many people had that privilege in the Underground anyway.

"How charming," mumbled Levi.

"It was better than growing up with a murderer, that's for sure," snapped Sophie. Farlan loudly dropped his spoon. After a moment of silence, Yan loudly slurped some stew. "Sorry, that was not… "

"At least he taught me some manners," responded Levi, who did not seem bothered by her slander, and simply sipped his drink. "Save that anger for him. If you don't want to associate yourself with us…or with me for that matter, you are free to go back to your sad and dirty pit".

Sophie looked down, ashamed for making such a comment. He said that she could leave, but she also knew that this thieves' den was the closest thing to safety she could ever aspire to have, given the circumstances. If any other group of thugs had found her as they did, they wouldn't have been as generous, and that was something she had very present.

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to being around nice people…or people at all." She paused and looked at the trio. "Thank you for everything".

Yan and Farlan awkwardly smiled at her apology, while Levi finished up the drink. He then stood up and started picking up his cutlery.

"You will be on cleaning duty tomorrow."

* * *

Eren and Historia had been kidnapped. Kenny had murdered his subordinates. And the fate of the Survey Corps was hanging by a very thin thread.

Levi wandered around the warehouse, wondering how things had gotten this far. It was not about killing titans anymore, now they were fighting humans. After the carriage persecution and running away from Kenny's squad, the rest of the team seemed restless. Especially Armin and Jean, who had experienced the murder of a human by another one for the first time.

While he had been able to put Dimo and Flegel Reeves on their side, it didn't make up for the fact that they were still very much underpowered against Kenny. How did he, one of the Military Police biggest threats, manage to put together such a powerful squad within it?

The warehouse was the same one where they had held Armin and Jean prisoners, disguised as Historia and Eren. Of course, Kenny saw through the hoax rather quickly, in the end, he was the one who taught that strategy to him. Levi was reluctant to admit how much of his own success as a soldier had been thanks to his training.

He started inspecting some of the crates, trying to look for clues, leads, or an explanation on why the old man went from an Underground thug to a squad leader of the Military. The crates were mostly filled with different types of supplies, probably from the Reeves's company. But then he noticed a different type of crates, separated from the rest.

He opened them. They were filled with metal bullets, just like the ones that Kenny's squad had used against him with that novel gear. He clenched his jaw as he remembered how easily he had blown up Nifa's head. There was no way he was going to let Kenny win. In any case, his vengeance had been long due. He started inspecting the bullets; they were bigger than the ones of a regular gun, which probably contributed to their effectiveness. He took a closer look at one of them, carefully investigating its design. While passing his fingers through the cartridge, he noticed a small engraving at the bottom.

He grabbed one of the lit-up lamps, powered by a small candle, and brought it closer to the item to revise the inscription. It said "S.L". The initials instantly clicked in his head. Of course Kenny had gotten so far up in the Police if Sophie Lhant was also on his side.

"You had always liked trouble," he mumbled to himself.


	4. Nightfall

Levi was sitting on his regular wooden chair back at the den, sipping black tea while watching Sophie tightening some screws of the mobility gear with a rusty wrench, while Yan was sitting on the floor and pushing air into the gas canisters with an improvised pumped. The tight wire around the canister's aperture seemed like was going to break at any point.

"You know, it would be faster if you helped us out," remarked Yan.

"I wouldn't want to steal the fun from you two."

Sophie seethed at the comment, and as Levi anticipated, she tried to have the last word, "Just what is that thing you drink all the time? It has the same color as the water after mopping."

"It's tea, a refined drink. That's why bad-mannered brats like you don't get to taste it."

"We are almost the same age you know…" she blurted while Yan quietly laughed. The girl was impulsive but easy to corner. Levi was surprised that she had been able to survive so long on her own, but then again, she had probably been hiding in that basement most of the time.

Farlan entered the room, saluting each one of the gang's members. He had a bright smile on his face, which relieved Levi.

"Good news! I found a calm spot where we can try out the gear. Do you think it will be ready for tonight, crafty girl?" Sophie smiled at him and blushed slightly at the compliment. Levi had quickly recognized how beguilable she could be, and so did Farlan.

"I think so, Yan has been really helpful, unlike the boss over there," Levi rolled his eyes at her comment. She just didn't know when to give up.

That night, they left the house and traveled through the most recondite alleys until they reached Farlan's suggested location. It was a small area far away from the houses and shops of the Underground, which opened to a smaller cave, with a large cylinder-like breach on the top part. The end of the breach was not open, and hence there was no light from outside, but the light from the lamps they had brought was enough for them.

"Alright, it's time," announced Farlan. "We will catch you if you fall, but don't go too far up anyway."

Sophie nodded in response and started adjusting the gear to her body. She had gained some weight after a couple of weeks living with the boys, which had increased her endurance when cleaning and the number of blunt comments, especially against Levi. She grabbed the right controller and pointed it towards the top part of the cave. Then pressed the top trigger to fire the anchor, which caused her to pull back slightly from the surprise.

"Please don't let me fall…" The boys looked at each other, confused on whether she was praying out loud or asking them for help.

She then pressed the lower trigger, which catapulted her towards the wall of the breach. The pull from the gas seemed to have been higher than what she anticipated, as she was barely able to use her arms to protect her head from hitting the surface, which resulted in a grunt of pain. The boys were excited, but still vigilant to whether she would fall or not. It could still be too early to celebrate.

She then fired the left wire towards the opposite wall of the breach and then triggered the gas flow to navigate to the target, this time, focusing on her legs as support. She used the lever to retract the right wire and made a snort of satisfaction as the wire pulled back to the housing with no problem. She finished off by aiming the right controller back to the floor, slightly away from the boys' position, and landed back safely, but not gracefully. However, when pulling back the left wire, the hook fell before reaching the housing.

"Oh, come on, it was going so well…" before she could apologize to the boys, Farlan jumped and hugged her, followed by Yan. The sudden affection startled Sophie at first but then joined their celebration with a big smile.

"You did it! You are a genius!" said the blond between laughs.

Levi simply observed the scene, although it was difficult for him to hide a smirk from seeing his comrades so happy. In the end, Farlan had been right, and this could completely change their lives in the Underground. And all thanks to that troublemaker rude girl.

"Good job, Sophie," said Levi, patting her head and messing with her hair. She smiled at him in response, which slightly surprised him, given their sharp relationship.

"We should celebrate, let's go to the bar in the center to celebrate," suggested Yan.

"I mean, I still have to fix some stuff, that hook…" started Sophie.

"Come on, you can fix it tomorrow!"

Farlan agreed with Yan, and while Levi wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea of letting themselves be so visible around town, he realized that the gang needed some fun time as well.

After leaving the mobility gear back at their den, the group went to the bar mentioned by Yan. Levi didn't frequent those establishments and was feeling rather apprehensive about it, but on their way there, the others seemed too excited to be interrupted by his grouchiness.

It seemed like a vivid night at the bar. Some drunks were playing with an off-tune guitar, adding some music to the eve. Levi rested against the counter while Yan negotiated the price of the drinks. Farlan and Sophie were closer to the guitar ensemble, attempting to dance to the irregular beat. It had been a while since he had seen Farlan so happy, and while he hadn't known Sophie for as long, he was also relieved to see some color on her cheeks.

"You see, I don't believe in luck," said Yan, already slightly tipsy. "But damn, we were lucky with this one." Levi didn't reply. He also wasn't keen on explaining things through luck and fate, but Yan had a point. As he finished his sentence, he took another sip before talking again. Yan always talked a bit too much when drunk. "We still don't know what her deal with Kenny is, right?"-Levi shook his head- "or why she had all that Survey Corps junk. Not that I'm complaining, though."

"I doubt she would tell me either way, she stills sees me as The Ripper's Associate. But Farlan might know something, they have been getting quite close lately."

"You jealous?" asked Yan, playfully. Levi didn't answer. "No way." Yan blinked in surprise and looked at the dancing couple before looking back at Levi.

"You seem more interested in her than I am."

"Well, I mean, you know, she is nice, to me at least, and that mobility gear stuff is pretty impressive." Yan stopped rambling, as he probably realized that the alcohol was making him too honest.

Levi simply shrugged and wandered his eyes through the room. He was starting to consider going back home, but the music suddenly stopped. He and Yan looked back at where Sophie and Farlan were. One of the drunk musicians was kneeling on the floor, covering his nose while Sophie shuddered her hand. Meanwhile, Farlan tried to maintain some distance between her and the other drunks.

Levi advised Yan to leave the bar with a sign and walked towards his other two comrades.

"It was just an accident, we don't want any trouble," said Farlan, trying to calm down two of the drunken men next to the hurt one.

"Accident?! He touched me!" screamed Sophie. The situation seemed to tense up as Levi approached them, and so he put a hand next to his knife's fastening. One of the drunks spitted Sophie in the face, which made her prepare her fist and aim at the man.

As Farlan attempted to hold her away from the men, Levi pushed the offensive one against the side, with his forearm pressing the thug's neck, and sank the rusty knife on the wall close to his face.

"Let's call it a night, shall we?" murmured the boy. The remaining drunk, who had not participated in the offense, whispered something to his pinned mate, who slowly nodded at the boy's suggestion. The two men helped lift the remaining one, who was still bleeding through the nose. Once they had left the establishment, Levi removed the knife from the wooden panel. However, the handle broke as he pulled the weapon out.

Levi stared at the incrusted blade for a moment. That knife had been with him for a long time, since Kenny, actually. It felt both sad and liberating to have it finally break. He turned around, and Sophie was looking at him with eyes like plates. Farlan put a hand over her shoulder and suggested going home.

No one said anything on the way back.

Farlan had already gone to sleep, while Sophie was still sitting alone at the dining room's table. The happiness from the gear trial had been completely overridden by guilt. Not for punching that man, but for putting their comrades in danger. Guilt for making Levi break his knife. She had assumed it was important to him somehow, as there was no other explanation for someone to keep and take care of such a rusty and old knife, especially a thief like him.

She stood up, planning to go to sleep, but there was still something pushing her back from it. She had seen Levi use a wooden stair to climb up to the house's ceiling once. Nothing was guaranteeing that he would be there, but she still wanted to try and apologize.

As usual, she hadn't thought the idea through, and as she was slowly climbing the stairs, she cursed her eagerness, which only seemed to get her in trouble.

He was there, looking at the scenery of the Underground. He had probably noticed her arrival, yet he did not acknowledge her presence.

She also didn't feel like breaking the ice, and simply sat next to him. After a while, she said what she truly wanted to, "I'm sorry."

The boy didn't even look at her, "What for?"

"For getting you all in trouble, it was supposed to be a fun night, and I ruined it…I'm always so careless."

"You defended yourself. Don't feel bad about it." He finally turned his head towards her. "He deserved it."

She brought her knees closer to her body and sank her head between them, "I wish I was more like you."

The boy frowned at her.

"What happened to being Kenny's little Ripper?"

She smiled. She was never sure if he was genuinely trying to be funny, or if he was always this dry.

"I guess I didn't know how to…cope." She stared at the ceiling of the cave, with the hanging stalactites. "But the truth is, you are just so strong and great…even after living with Kenny, you were still kind to me."

"Well, I did slap and threaten you with a knife, that's not what I would call kindness."

"After that, I mean. If it weren't for you guys, my big mouth and temper would've already gotten me killed."

Levi didn't reply and simply looked towards the scenery again. She knew she wouldn't deny it. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would lie to make someone feel better. Not that she wanted him to do so.

"You may be right about that, but I also know that none of these stupid, self-centered folks would've had the guts to do what you did. And even less the brains to fix that gear. Myself included"

She looked at him and felt her heart jump for a moment. She felt like it was a weird sight, with him unbothered, observing the decadence of the Underground while she simply glared at his features. It was the first time she had taken a real look at the boy's face, without any fighting involved.

She felt safe. She had been feeling like this for a while now, ever since she had grown closer with the gang. And it was then that she realized that he deserved an explanation. Even if he hadn't asked for one.

"Kenny killed my father." Levi turned his head and opened his mouth slightly as if he were to say something, but she continued talking. "My mum used to be in the Survey Corps. She was a deserter. She…saw something, outside the walls, something so horrible that it made her ran away to the Underground.

"My dad and I didn't know about her past until he found the crate with her belongings and confronted her. She said that this was the only safe place in the world, that the walls would fall one day, and that the gear would save us once the Titans entered the city. She made us promise that we would not use the gear to escape, only to protect ourselves. I agreed, but my father didn't. He took the parts and left her alone. He hated her for lying, for keeping us in this hell."

Sophie made a brief pause. She looked away from Levi as she started to feel tears streaming down her face. She wasn't ashamed of crying, but she also didn't want her tears to confuse him.

"Do you hate her?" he asked.

"At first, I did. But I heard she got ill, and so I visited her against my father's orders. She was delirious, but she talked about how her comrades were eaten alive, how the titans destroyed everything on their way…I figured that if I had seen that I would've also run away to the most remote place in the world. She apologized, I forgave her and some days later, she died."

"But you still worked on the gear."

"My dad did, mostly. I just watched him and learned from him that way. I guess I'm not that smart after all." She paused to rub her eyes. "He was obsessed with it and kept saying how we would finally be free and see the birds, despite everything my mum said. I was still scared from what she told me, but he worked day and night on that thing.

"At some point, there was less food and more parts. I would try to get out and look for something to eat, but he kept forcing me to work with him. Once there was no more money, he started stealing. I wanted him to stop, to break that machine into pieces and burn it. It turned out that he stole from a friend of Kenny's, and of course, he had to make amends. I…found him lying on the street…with his face smashed with a hammer…I…"

She wasn't able to finish the sentence, and Levi simply looked down.

"Sophie…"

"All that work, all those days without food, his own life…I didn't want it to be for nothing," she interrupted him, raising her voice. "Now that it's finished, I don't know what to do anymore. I don't know who I am anymore."

"You are still you, Sophie. You are still going to punch guys twice your size even though you can't win, you are still going to fix that hook, you are still going to be part of our gang, and you are still going to be my friend, no matter how terrible your cleaning skills are or how much you hate me."

She blushed. She didn't want to blush in front of him, but his words lit her heart up. He was now the one looking at her, while she was staring at the city.

"I don't hate you…I was just…angry."

"I know. But I am used to people not liking me."

"Well, believe it or not, I do." She smiled and looked at him. She had never realized how intense his grey eyes were. "I'm sorry, this was…a lot."

They were still staring at each other. She wasn't sure why, but she felt nervous, and also safe. She just wanted to apologize to the boy and ended up telling him everything about her. In the end, he deserved to know why she had been so rude and evasive, even though it was Kenny who killed her dad, and not him. She was ashamed of being so honest, but it had been liberating for her.

He put a hand over her right shoulder, which startled Sophie. If anything, Levi wasn't someone who showed affection so easily.

"I'm still keeping my promise from the basement. I can't change what he did, but when the day comes, if you want revenge, I will be there for you."

Sophie opened her mouth to take a small breath. She then looked down and Levi removed his hand. He knew so much about her now, and yet she knew nothing at all about him. Who was Kenny to him? Was he his dad? What happened between them?

Still, she felt like she didn't need the answers to those questions.

"Thank you."


	5. Promises

Levi had instructed Mikasa and the others to head to the meeting point in the woods, where they would stop the Military Police carriage in charge of relaying the Reeves'. He was supposed to join them and wait for Hange at the cabin, to interrogate the Police lieutenants about the titan inside the walls and the Royal Family. However, he first had to pay a visit to an old friend.

He wore one of the capes they had used to supervise the switch between Eren and Historia with Jean and Armin. It was not his cape, however, as that one was probably lying on some rooftop over the merchant district, covered in Nifa's blood.

It was dark, but not fully nightfall yet. He swiftly moved through the alleys until he reached Wall Sheena. He had brought his ODM gear to avoid passing through the gate's checkpoints. Thankfully, as Sheena was the most interior Wall, there would be no Garrison Corps patrolling the top part at this time of the day.

He knew her address. Or at least, he knew the return address of the letters sent to him after she left the Underground, which was almost eight years back. Letters to which Levi never replied. It was optimistic of him to think that she would still be living in the same place after such a long time, and this idea made him wonder whether this was the right moment and place for their reunion. This little visit was dangerous, not only to him, but also to the entire operation. Still, he was tired of not having any answers, about the Titans, the Walls, and even Kenny.

It was not like meeting her would ensure that his questions would be answered, but it was a starting point. Besides, if the Military Police had ordered her to design such novel gear, maybe a distinguished member of the Survey Corps like him could justify the visit as a request for the Chief of Engineering to do the same for his division.

He arrived at the Ehrmich District and hid his ODM gear under a sewer in an alley. He was disgusted to put it in such a filthy place, but there was little he could do about it now.

Once he was at the property, he gently knocked on the door. He waited, but it seemed like no one would answer. He felt slightly relieved, as that would mean that even if this had been a bad idea, he could still turn back and continue with the operation. However, the door finally opened, to reveal an old man dressed in a suit.

"I'm here to see Sophie Lhant," said Levi. He realized that a sketchy man with a worn-out cape, knocking on a respected lady's door at this time of the day probably didn't inspire a lot of trust in the butler.

"Sir, it is quite late, I doubt the lady will be disposed."

"I'm just an old friend, the name is Farlan Church." He hissed a bit too much at the word friend. The man simply closed the door, and Levi was left to wait again. He was starting to feel anxious, but he reminded himself that no matter how ugly things got, he never ran away. Not in the Underground, and not now.

The door opened again. The butler led him to the staircase and pointed at the closed room where Sophie presumably was. He walked towards it and took a deep breath before knocking. There was no response, so he took the liberty of opening and entering the room.

As he lurked in, he saw through the corner of his eye how someone was waiting for him next to the entrance, with a knife in hand. He swiftly moved aside, avoiding the impact from the weapon. The attacker left a small scream of surprise and moved away before turning towards him.

It was Sophie.

Her dark brown eyes were still as intense as always, only now there were accentuated by some light makeup, in addition to lipstick. She had grown taller, and her body was fuller than during her days in the Underground. She was wearing a ruffled, white off-shoulder shirt, with a black corset as a bodice and a long, deep blue skirt that shined in the candlelight. Meanwhile, he was still in his duty clothes, with the straps of the ODM gear wrapping his legs and torso.

"Still fighting anyone that comes near you, Sophie?"

"Levi!" she seemed surprised to see him and moved slightly forward with eagerness, only to realize that he wasn't in the same welcoming mood as she was. "I'm sorry, I knew it couldn't be Farlan and I definitely wasn't expecting you," she said with a malicious tone.

Levi didn't reply. Instead, he wandered around the room, lit up by some candle lamps on the tables and shelves.

"This is quite an upgrade from your basement, that's for sure."

Sophie scoffed at the comment.

"Would you like some tea?"

"I'm not here for chit chat," he replied bluntly.

"I asked _would you like some tea_ , not _why are you here_."

Levi rolled his eyes and shook his hand to signal her to serve him a drink. She went towards one of the shelves next to the fireplace and took out two cups before starting to prepare the brew. In the meantime, he observed the large papers lying on her workspace and flipped through them. They were confidential, yet she did not stop him from peeking. How could she still act so friendly, as if this were just a regular reunion?

Levi sat on one of the chairs next to the dining table, as Sophie served the tea. Despite her association with Kenny, he did, however, envy her beautiful ceramic cups. Becoming one of the top engineers in the kingdom had its advantages after all.

Despite the tea being served, they simply stared at each other in silence. It wasn't like he didn't have anything to say, instead, he was analyzing her. Physically, she was still Sophie, but there was something in her gaze that had changed. Those weren't the gullible, lonely eyes of an Underground girl, now they were patient and defiant. She wasn't afraid, nor careless anymore. The way she had confidently moved through the room, how carefully she had set up the tea for the man who left her behind for years… That's when he realized that she could've killed him when he entered the room, she simply decided not to. He knew Sophie was in control now, and she wasn't going to talk until he did it first. It was her game now, but if they were going to play, it would be by his rules.

"Should I expect Kenny to join us as well?"

Sophie smirked, "All these years, and you come back to me now that you are cornered? So much for Humanity's strongest soldier." She grabbed her cup and took a sip of the tea, with the delicacy of someone who had grown up with a silver spoon in their mouth, and not the dust of the Underground.

"I guess we are both disappointed with each other then. For someone who swore revenge and to fight anyone in her way, you surely enjoy the comfort of the upper class."

"Well, we both know what is on the other side. Or below, actually." Her blunt comments were not crude anymore, instead, they were like a sleight of hand.

"I thought you didn't want to live above."

"I thought you didn't run away. Or abandon your friends."

"And I don't. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here." She seemed perplexed at his remark. She had probably assumed that he hated her, hence why he had never replied to the letters. However, Kenny would soon be defeated -he would make sure of that- and the Survey Corps would rise again. He wanted her to respond to her actions, but he also wanted to protect her before the government shattered once the truth about the Walls was uncovered. "Whose side are you on, Sophie?"

"Does it truly matter to you? Or are you just angry that I helped the Military Police instead of the Survey Corps?"

Levi didn't reply. Of course, she wouldn't let go of the information so easily, but he had an ace up his sleeve. If he couldn't make Chief Lhant talk, then he would address the girl from the Underground. And for that, they both needed to look back into their past.

"I know it was you. You told Erwin about how we were using the ODM gear in the Underground. That's why he came after our gang, even though he already knew about the complot against him." She opened her eyes and left the teacup back on the table. Her composure slowly started to tense up, and Levi could hear her breathing more heavily. "Because of that, me, Farlan, and another girl, Isabel, had to go outside the walls, and only I made it out alive. You may think of me as a coward, but at least I try to protect the people who take care of me."

Her gaze softened and she looked down before addressing Levi, "Is that why you never replied to my letters?"

"Is that the only thing that matters to you? You don't care about all the people dying? You only care about the damn letters?!" shouted Levi. Sophie clenched her jaw in response, recovering her dauntlessness.

"So, you would've preferred to stay in the Underground? Is that what you mean?"

"No."

"Then what do you want from me?! I know I made a mistake, not everyone is as strong and astounding as you are, Captain Levi," she said, clenching her teeth in anger as she named him. "When I arrived at the surface, I was alone, working day and night so they wouldn't send me back to that hellhole. I just wanted all of us to be together again, and yet even after what happened, you never came to see me, you never replied to my letters.

"I needed something to keep me going, so I did what I was asked, without question. I was _the good girl_ , and that turned me into the best engineer this country has ever seen. It didn't matter if I was working for the King, Kenny, or even the Titans themselves. I didn't care if I was breaking my mom's promise because I just needed someone to tell me that I was doing the right thing, even if it was a lie. Because our friends' deaths will hang over me forever."

He held his breath for a second. Not because she had revealed to him something he did not expect, but because he knew exactly how she felt. He had also joined the Survey Corps to have something to fight for, thinking that it was the right thing to do, only to have recently learned that all the titans he had killed were once human.

"I've made mistakes too, and if this is about guilt, then I am as guilty of their deaths as you are. But I vowed to not regret my choices, instead, I followed Erwin in his conviction that humanity would be free one day. The same way you kept working on the gear after your father died, I kept fighting for freedom so that their deaths would not be in vain." Sophie's expression softened, and Levi bent over slightly to get closer to her. "You can still do the right thing here."

They fixed their gaze on each other once again. He finally saw the eyes of little Sophie shining through the ones of Chief Lhant.

"I don't know where Kenny is. I just designed the gear," she admitted as she looked down. "If it is any consolation, I didn't know it was for him until he came in for the testing. Putting a bullet between his eyes in front of Commander Nile didn't seem appropriate at the time."

Levi snorted. At least, she still despised Kenny as much as before, she just had more self-control now.

"Do you have any equipment we can use against him?" he asked.

"Hm. I have some protective pieces that were used to test the bullets' damage. They are not infallible, but it is better than anything. I can also set up some smoke bombs from some spare material, that should help you escape if things get ugly." She paused and frowned. "Levi…what is going on? If Kenny is working with the Police, then it must be something big."

"I can't tell you much right now, but I need you to get all those things and send them to our location as soon as possible." She didn't seem convinced by his request, which made Levi clarify, "You have to trust me, Sophie."

"You are going to kill him, right?"

Levi didn't hesitate to reply, "Yes."

"Then that is everything I need," said Sophie as she stood up. Levi followed and disclosed to her the cabin meeting point to where the others were headed, so she could deliver the cargo. Once all the details were arranged, Sophie accompanied him to the door. As he was about to turn the handle, she suddenly but gently grabbed his arm with one hand. He froze and looked at her in what seemed like ages, while his heartbeat started to race.

"If you didn't blame me for what happened, then why didn't you reply to my letters?" she asked, with a softer voice.

"Because in every letter you asked me to come back alive from the missions." He paused, getting closer to her despite his nervousness. "I didn't want to make you a promise I couldn't keep. I would never hurt you like that. I thought you would be better off without waiting for a dead man."

She didn't say anything, and simply stared at him. Levi was confused on what to do, on why she had held onto those letters for so long rather than moving on, even at that present moment. She then let go of his arm, softly caressing it.

"Even if you don't promise me that you'll be safe, I'll still wait for you."

Levi didn't try to convince her otherwise. He wasn't planning on losing against Kenny, but he also didn't want to lie to her. And so, he opened the door and left.


	6. Candlelight

Sophie stopped in the middle of the crowded street and let the warmth of the sunlight shine on her face. It wasn't her first time visiting the surface, but she still stopped to look up and admire the beauty of the sky, the gentle breeze, the voices of all the people surrounding her, and the incoming light from the sun.

She had been able to not only fix the gear but also to improve it. Now it was faster in reeling and propelling the hooks, and she had added a more detailed mechanism to allow turning one's direction of movement while still reeling. The gang had also been training with it, showing more improvement each day.

But that had been the easy part. Her mom's equipment only included one mobility unit, which Sophie's father had mostly fixed before she took over. However, if they wanted to pull major heists and become the best band in the Underground as Farlan expected, she would also need to build gears for the other members as well. She knew some of the places in the Underground where her dad had traded for parts, but now that they could effectively manipulate the gear, they were able to visit the surface at their own will without paying any taxes at the checkpoints. Some of the Underground cave's natural openings that led to the outskirts of the Capital were still intact, as the Police had deemed them too high for anyone to leave or enter the Underground through them, and thus no checkpoints were present. Thanks to their overlook, Sophie was now walking freely through Mitras.

They had taken turns to explore the surface and follow the cargo delivered to and from the Military HQ. They knew exactly how and when they sent the rations, who were the blacksmiths appointed to fix military equipment, and much, much more. Now it was time for the final trick.

People step aside as she passed next to them on the street, sometimes murmuring, or aweing in admiration. This had never happened to her in the Underground, where people would usually either ignore or deliberately bump into her. But she didn't look like a lousy Underground girl anymore; now she was walking through the capital as a Survey Corps member. Of course, anyone could've stitched some blue and white wings on a green cape and call themselves a Survey Corps lieutenant, but what made her different from other impostors was the ODM gear she carried on each side. It was the perfect deceit.

She had to admit, she liked the effect that her apparel had on people and the respect they elicited towards her. Despite some giving her disapproving looks, she could feel the envy and even the fear in their gaze. She felt powerful, and she liked that.

She entered one of the blacksmith shops that Levi had previously patrolled. Their observations implied that there was one Survey Corps expedition roughly every month and that the fixed gears were delivered back to the HQ a week before departure. The blacksmith in charge was a bald, middle-aged man cleaning the counter, while a little boy of about 8 or 9 years old broomed the back of the room, from where clatter and hammer sounds could be heard.

"I'm here to retrieve the fixed gears."

"Huh? I thought we had another week. They are not finished," said the man with a crude tone.

"I know, but due to weather conditions, they are pushing the mission forward. The Commander asked me to pick them up even if they are not ready. Our Engineering team will take care of the finishing touches."

The man scanned Sophie and frowned, "Do you have an official notice?"

"Shouldn't you just be happy to have less work this time?" she said with bitterness, before realizing that such a hostile attitude wouldn't help her case. "You'll still get paid the full amount. This is just a setback from our side." The man still didn't seem convinced, to which Sophie sighed. "I can sign you a waiver with my name and rank so if Logistics asks you any questions you can always refer them to me."

The man looked more relaxed after a scapegoat for him was assured. He nodded slightly and went to the back of the room to prepare the cargo. While she waited, she noticed that the little boy was now looking at her, shyly hiding behind the counter.

"Have you been outside the Walls?" he asked. The question initially shocked Sophie, as she remembered what her mom had told her about the horrors of the Titans.

"Hm, yes, once. But I'm a recruit, that is why they mostly send me on these boring errands," she said smiling. The boy smiled in return and left his cover, approaching Sophie.

"You are so brave and strong…I want to be just like you!" Sophie blinked in response. _Brave and strong?_ Those weren't the words she would've used to describe herself. Or her mother, for that matter.

"Well, you see, going outside is very dangerous, you should stay here at the shop."

"But that's boring! I want to fly around like you do! And kill Titans!" the boy articulated as if he was grabbing two swords. "I'm going to join the Survey Corps!"

Before Sophie could discourage him, the blacksmith came back with a brown bag. As he placed it on top of the counter, the metal parts rattled against each other. Sophie inspected its content; they were the correct pieces, but a large amount of them had not been assembled yet.

"This is not even close to functional…Were you really planning on putting all of these together in just a week?" she asked.

The man shrugged, "Miss, you were the one that wanted them earlier. Most of the gears we have to fix are from dead, chunked off soldier corpses, and ordering the parts from the factories takes time, you know."

"It's not like it matters to me, but I guess the Engineering guys will have some fun nights ahead. Thanks anyway." She grabbed the bag, but the blacksmith looked at her with disapproval.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he said, handing her a quill and a piece of paper. She stopped on her feet and took a deep breath. She knew how to write, but she was scared that her poor calligraphy would reveal the hoax. Still, she noted down her mother's identity. _Lieutenant Cheria Oswell, 95th division_.

Back in the Underground, Levi, Farlan, and her were sitting in a circle down at the basement's floor, counting and identifying all the pieces from the large bag.

"This just seems like a bunch of junk," said Levi.

"How cheerful of you," replied Farlan with bitterness. "What do you reckon, Sophie, how many gears can we put together with this?"

Sophie was surrounded by small mountains of pieces of similar shape, trying to puzzle two of them together. "I'm not sure, maybe around four, but we'll still need to get additional pieces and wire…hopefully we can find them here. It would be quite dangerous to pull the same trick again so soon, even if it were at a different blacksmith."

Farlan sighed, but he didn't seem like he had expected good news either, "Well, at least we have something. How long do you think it will take?"

"Uh…well," Sophie grinned. Her dad had done most of the foundation repairs with the first gear, but she wanted to work as hard as possible to catch up with his abilities. "I think I can fix one of them in a week." She wasn't too confident in her statement but also didn't want them to think of her as a fraud.

Farlan seemed happy with the deadline, but Levi frowned before continuing to evaluate the pieces.

A few hours later, everyone had already gone to sleep. The entire house was pitch dark, but down at the basement, Sophie was still working on the gear, illuminating the workspace with a single, almost burned-out candle. She was tired and could feel the weight of her eyelids forcing her to close her eyes, while her head swayed. But she had to keep going, she had to prove herself that she was as capable as her dad and that she deserved to be part of Levi's gang. A couple of minutes later, her body gave up and she fell asleep, with her head resting on the table.

It wasn't too long after that she felt something soft gently falling over her. She quickly woke up in fright and moved away from the table, knocking over the wooden chair on her way. The candle on the workspace had already been consumed, and so the only source of light in the room was a lamp held by a mysterious figure.

It was Levi.

"Levi! You almost gave me a heart attack!" said Sophie, gently rubbing her face to awaken herself.

"I just didn't want you to catch a cold," he replied. She then noticed the blanket on the floor, next to the fallen chair, and gowned in response.

"Oh, sorry. I just thought someone was going to rob me or something…Wait, why are you awake?"

He shrugged and put the candle on the table before inspecting the mechanism in which Sophie had been working.

"You should get some rest."

"No, it's fine, I want to finish the housing before tomorrow," she said, turning the chair around and sitting on it.

"You won't be able to think straight if you don't sleep."

"It's not like I usually think straight anyway," she said smirking. Levi scoffed at the comment and grabbed another chair from the other side of the room to sit next to Sophie.

They were now both looking at each other in silence. As she observed his face, Sophie wasn't sure whether he was blushing, or if it was just the warmth of the candlelight caressing his cheeks. Levi opened his mouth slightly as if he were about to say something. But in a strike of nervousness, Sophie decided to interrupt.

"Oh, I have something for you." She quickly stood up, going towards one of the shelves to take a small cloth envelope, and then returned to her seat. Levi seemed confused as she handed him the envelope. He picked up the package with care and slowly undid the string holding the cloth together, which revealed a small and shiny switchblade. He unfolded the weapon to observe the sharp blade, gleaming in the candlelight. As he caressed the handle, he noticed a small engraving on one of the sides. He brought it closer to his eyes to inspect it, revealing that a small "L" had been carefully carved on the metal. "I felt really bad for what happened to your knife, so I decided to build this from all the leftover materials. It has your initial, you see?" she said, pointing towards the carved side.

He simply looked at her with piercing eyes in an almost menacing way. Sophie pushed herself back in response, thinking that it had been a stupid thing to gift, that maybe he didn't like it, and thought it was just a piece of junk…

"Thank you, Sophie." He smiled. It was the first time she had ever seen him smile, and she could feel her cheeks burning in response, and this time, it was not because of the candle nearby. She could feel her heartbeat increase the longer they looked at each other, while she appreciated the features of the young man's face. She didn't know what to do, or what to say, but also didn't want the moment to end.

One of her hands was resting on top of the table, and he slowly moved his palm towards it, placing it nearby. At first, they simply kept their hands close, without touching, as they continued to stare into one another. Levi then gently turned his wrist to reach Sophie's hand, and she did the same until their fingers lightly touched, intertwining with one another. She could feel his hand shaking a little and he left a small breath escape his lips as the contact between them increased.

Sophie slightly bent her body forward, getting closer to his face, while he continued moving his hand until his fingers gently caressed the back of hers. She was unsure of what she was doing, or why. Sophie knew she could trust him, and he had shown to take care of her despite the rudeness and anger she had shown for his past. Then why was she holding back now?

"I…need to keep working on this," she said as she pulled back, but still not breaking the contact between them.

He looked down, and slowly removed his hand from hers, kindly caressing it as he stood up, "Of course." She wanted to grab him and stop him from leaving, yet she found herself paralyzed to do so. Did he truly like her? Or did he just find her gullible enough to fall for him?

He left the room, and for the first time in her life, Sophie regretted not following her eagerness.


	7. Gestalt

A couple of weeks had passed, and Sophie was feeling better than ever. She had worked tirelessly on the gears and had successfully managed to fix four of them, which could become five if Farlan was able to get her the pieces she had requested. Sophie had proved not only to them but also to herself, that she was just as capable as her dad.

The only thing that bothered her was how distant Levi had been. After that night, he had been more elusive with her, not even complaining about the lack of tidiness around the house. Despite some awkward sustained looks between them, they had barely interacted for the past weeks. The truth was that she wanted to talk and go back to normal with him, maybe even confess how she truly felt. But she had been so confined working on the gears that she hadn't found the time or energy to do so.

Things were about to change. If she were able to build one or two more units, they could sell them to buy the permit to live above. That way, even when the Military found out about the smuggled ODMs, they would've already left the Underground for good. The adrenaline arising from the thought of it made Sophie sprint, as she walked towards her previous house. Because of the value of the materials and the gears, Farlan had suggested keeping separated workshops scattered around the city, so in case one of them was discovered or raided, the others would not.

She finally arrived at her old house. Levi and Yan had secured the place, ensuring that the wooden plaque was more sturdy and less suspicious. Once she got in the building, she slowly removed the piece to reveal the entrance to the basement, and she hummed in satisfaction. She then walked down the stairs, but once she reached the floor and turned her head towards the table, she found herself surrounded by three militaries, each pointing a gun at her.

"Put your hands up and kneel on the ground," loudly said a woman with glasses and the Garrison emblem on her jacket. Sophie obeyed, and as she looked around, she distinguished the militaries to be two female Garrison Corps and a male Military Police. Behind them was another man, who seemed slightly familiar to Sophie.

"Is this the girl?" asked the other Garrison to the man behind. As he nodded, she realized it was the blacksmith from Mitras.

The Policeman approached Sophie, still pointing the weapon at her, "Messing around with military equipment, girl? You don't know what you've gotten yourself into." He then used his gun to strike Sophie in the stomach, which made her bend from the pain.

"Sannes! That's enough," said the first Garrison. "Take that man outside, he has no more business here." The man sighed and escorted the blacksmith away from them. The woman approached Sophie, which allowed her to distinguish the blonde hair of the soldier. Due to the lack of light, she was unable to see the features of the other Garrison, except for the fact that she was still pointing a gun at her. "You know, the mechanism of the ODM gear is one of the best-kept secrets of the Military. Now, care to explain how a scoundrel like you is building one?"

Sophie was slightly relieved that she had only referred to the gear in that workspace, which probably meant that the other places had not been discovered yet.

"I just…figured it out. I have a lot of free time."

The blonde one sighed at the comment, while the other one moved the gun closer to Sophie's face, and threatened her, "You have learned top-secret government information. Things are not looking good for you, young girl. You could be imprisoned for life, or even hanged."

The first woman stared at Sophie for a while through her glasses, "The more you help us now, the better it will be for you. So, how do you know Cheria Oswell?"

Sophie staggered for a bit. She knew she was cornered, and this time no one would come to rescue her. She figured that telling them everything they wanted would discourage them from looking for other suspects, and hence Levi and Farlan's involvement would remain unknown.

"She was my mother. She was a Survey Corps deserter," muttered Sophie.

"Where is she?" asked the second Garrison, aggressively. "Was she the one to show you how to use the gear?"

"She is dead. I learned to build the gear on my own. That is the truth."

The women looked at each other before the blonde one with glasses decided to intervene, "Have you worked with anyone else?"

Despite the threatening voice of the woman, Sophie still protected her friends, "It was just me. I only had my mother's spare parts to work with."

The woman seemed satisfied with her answer, for now at least. "What's your name?".

"Sophie Lhant."

"Well, Sophie Lhant, you are arrested for disclosing secret Military information, impersonating a Military member, and complotting against the government. Your sentence will be decided by trial." The woman tied her hands and put a cloth cover over her head before escorting her outside. She didn't resist, as for once, she knew she had been defeated.

Sophie was scared, not so much for herself, but for the fate of the others. She prayed and wished that they were content with her as the sole criminal, and as she felt the sunshine through the cloth, she thought of Levi. She thought of his freaky way of drinking tea, his rants about her cleaning habits, the soft touch of his hand, and how much she wanted to go back to that night at the den. But it was too late for that.

* * *

Two weeks had passed and there had been no news from Sophie. Levi was sitting on his usual chair, with the tea in front of him untouched, rubbing his forehead. Could she have betrayed them? Could he had been wrong about her all along? He wanted to believe that was not the case, but the evidence was there; the workshop back at her place was empty, and Sophie was gone. Had it been anyone else, he wouldn't be second-guessing it as he was doing now.

The door opened loudly and Farlan entered, with a worried expression.

"They got her, they captured Sophie."

Levi quickly stood up in response.

"How?"

"I don't know. I bribed some people and they saw Military Police and Garrison Corps taking someone out of her house…the workshop was empty…so…so..." Farlan covered his face with his hands and let out a small scream of frustration. "Now what? What if she betrays us and tells them everything?"

Levi looked away from his comrade, "No. It's been too long, if anything, those bastards do know how to get the information they want. I think…she is protecting us. For now."

They hadn't been to the workshops themselves. Instead, they had sent some decoys to inspect it after Sophie had disappeared, to ensure that it was not a trap. The decoys hadn't been caught yet either, meaning that the Military wasn't looking for them.

Farlan sighed, "Well, at least we have the other three gears. If she keeps quiet, we can still move forward with our plans."

Levi grunted and approached Farlan, threateningly, "You self-centered prick, was she just a means to an end to you?"

"No, she was my friend too," he replied, calmly. "But we both know that doesn't mean much around here. You out of everyone should know that." Levi relaxed slightly. He was right, he wouldn't have acted like this for anyone else, then why with her? Deep down, he knew why. But he was still reluctant to admit it, even to himself. "I hope that she is okay and not spending the rest of her time behind bars, but life goes on for us, Levi. We have other people under our care."

Levi went back to the table and dropped himself on the chair. He was right. "Can you at least try to find out if she is still alive?"

"It won't be cheap, but I'll try," he said as he headed back to the door. "I'm sorry, Levi."

After Farlan left, Levi stood up and went towards one of the cupboards next to the kitchen. He took out a cloth envelope, like the one she had given him that night, and unveiled its content. It was a white, slightly chipped teacup. He cleaned the surface with the cloth before turning it upside down, and gently passed his fingers over the carved "S" at the bottom, wishing it was her skin instead.


	8. Drunk

Levi and Erwin stared at each other. After the success of the Uprising, he could feel the pride of the Commander overflowing the room in every meeting. However, the Captain had not expected that even after losing his arm, he would still lead the mission to take back the Shiganshina District. Despite Levi’s words of discouragement and threats to break his legs, Erwin was set on joining the rest of the Survey Corps. He wanted to be there once they discovered the truth about the Titans, even if it cost him his life.

Levi remembered what Kenny had said in his last moments after the collapse of the Reiss Chapel: _we all need to be drunk on something to keep going._ For Erwin, that meant learning the truth about this world, and leading humanity to its freedom. And Levi felt like he was in no position to take that dream away from him, no matter how much he valued the Commander’s life.

The words of his now-deceased uncle echoed over his thoughts while he clenched his hand around the titan serum. _What is it that keeps you going? What is your poison?_ For so long, he had followed Erwin’s conviction as if it were his, and now that the Commander’s life was at risk, he realized he had nothing and no one else to turn to, no other purpose to make all the sacrifices worth it.

“There is something else I would like to discuss with you,” said Erwin, forcing Levi to snap out of his thoughts. The blond was standing next to his desk, wearing an elegant shirt illuminated by the light from the window. His defined features and blue eyes, and the authority of his rank, gave him an aura of divinity as he spoke, “Sophie Lhant. You know her, correct?”

Levi frowned. Of course, Erwin knew about their time in the Underground. After all, she had been the one to put them in contact, so why was he acting so oblivious? Instead of confronting him, he decided to play along, “The name rings a bell, why?”

“She has requested to join the Survey Corps.”

Levi clenched his jaw in response. When he had asked her to finally pick a side and do the right thing, he didn’t expect her to go to such lengths. His mind went back to Kenny’s words: _what is it that keeps you going?_

“What does that have to do with me?”

“She would be a fine addition to our team. She ranked 4th of her division, despite Pixis already ensuring her a job at Engineering to restitute her crimes. Hange and Sophie worked together on the Executioner from Hell and I have also heard that she was quite active in the setup of the bombs against Reiss’s Titan. She doesn’t seem to fear getting her hands dirty when the situation requires it.” Erwin stopped to analyze Levi’s expression, who was simply leaning on the door, unbothered. “I was wondering what would make such a distinguished member of the Military go into the field. I would assume that anyone enjoying the comfortable life of Mitras would not want to give that up to kill Titans.”

Levi slightly frowned in confusion as Erwin mentioned the capital. As far as he recalled, she lived in Ehrmich, but he let it slide.

“Why don’t you ask her?”

“I did. She said she wanted to fight for humanity and do the right thing. That she was tired of hiding.”

“There you go. Unlike the other high-class snobs, she feels guilty for wasting the taxpayers’ money. Mystery solved.” Despite saying it out loud, he didn’t quite believe that was the only reason she had to join the Corps. He had seen the sober decoration of her house, how she didn’t carry any jewelry or flaunt her wealthiness in any way.

“I agree that she has a notorious reputation, but that should not interfere with her fitness for the Corps.”

“Huh?”

“Forgive me, I believe gossip and slander are off-topic,” said Erwin shaking his head. Levi was visibly confused at his remarks but did not want to inquire any further. “After the coup, we had to cleanse the corruption among our lines. But I wouldn’t be surprised if this were a trick from Zachary to oversee the Corps now that we have retrieved our power. Now, Levi, do you trust her?”

He reflected on the situation. Bringing such a respected officer among their lines would probably improve the public’s opinion on the Corps, which would mean more funding and recruits. He was surprised to see how selective Erwin was being about her, to the point where he was asking for Levi’s opinion. 

“If she is such a valuable member of Engineering, then I would rather have her stay inside the Walls drawing bridges and keeping Hange’s crazy ideas at bay. But it’s not like we have a lot of manpower at the Corps right now.”

“I agree, but that is not what I asked.”

Levi sighed and stared decisively at the blond, “I haven’t had a proper conversation with her in ages, so I can’t tell you whether she is trustworthy. After all, even if she is on our side now, she still worked for the Antipersonnel squad.”

“You believe she could easily switch sides again?” inquired the Commander.

“Maybe. But those bastards can be quite pushy too. Back when they captured her in the Underground, she could’ve made a deal and sold us out to the Police straight away. Instead, she waited and reached out to you so we could be part of the Corps and live a better life on the surface.” He looked away as he remembered the dreadful events of his first mission. “Even if it didn’t work out for Farlan and Isabel.”

“But it did work out for you, I would say,” remarked Erwin without hesitation.

“I don’t think that watching my comrades die in every mission is something I should be thankful to Sophie,” he replied, giving a menacing look to the Commander. Since they had learned that Titans had been humans once, their beliefs regarding the sacrifices of their comrades had been opposite. But he did not want to confront him on that topic again, not with all the other matters they had at hand. “Are you planning on sending her to Shiganshina?”

Erwin shook his head and sat on the main chair, “Even if I wanted to, she is still working on some new armament. The Police will not let go of her until she is done with their projects.”

“At least that is one burden less for the mission. Now it’s your time to step back.”

Erwin smirked, “Thank you for your concern, Captain. You are dismissed.”

That night, the Corps celebrated the success of the Uprising and the departure to Shiganshina with a grand dinner. They had even brought the meat and wine from the Royal reservoirs, which had caused more of a dispute between the militaries than a bash. Despite the occasional fight for the most tender piece of beef, everyone seemed happy. Even Sophie had been there, invited by Hange after learning that the fellow scientist would now be part of the Corps. Levi wasn’t surprised that those two smart freaks had bonded so well together, but he was slightly envious of how close they were.

He hadn’t approached Sophie to tell her about Kenny, and how he had finally fulfilled the deal they made back in the Underground almost a decade before. He felt that she was enjoying herself too much to bring up the past again.

And he wasn’t at the party anymore. After breaking up a fight between two of the brats, he had decided to leave the crowded scene to clear his mind before the mission. He had instructed everyone to go to bed, but he knew that very few would follow his order. In the end, they all needed something to celebrate.

While he was sitting outside, he had overheard a conversation between Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. They had talked about how excited they were of seeing the outside world: the sea, the desert, and the frozen steppes. He knew it had been indiscreet of him to listen to the full conversation instead of just leaving, but their aspirations reminded him of how he used to look up in the Underground cave with Farlan, Sophie, and Isabel and dream of the same things they did.

Now that the trio had left, and he found himself alone thinking about those memories, his life with Kenny, and what his purpose would be once humanity was freed. The same sentences kept creeping back into his mind, repeating like a mantra: _We all need to be drunk on something to keep going. What is your poison, Levi?_

His train of thought was interrupted once he distinguished a figure swaying in front of him, illuminated by the moonlight, and the reflection from the river nearby. It was a feminine figure, and he didn’t need to get closer to know who it was.

He stood up and walked towards her. She was holding a bottle of wine, which she occasionally drank with the manners of a brute, while she swung around as if she were trying to dance to an inaudible tune. He put a hand over her shoulder, and she stopped to turn around and look at him. Of course, it was Sophie.

She smiled and took another sip of the almost empty bottle before rubbing her lips with the sleeve of her delicate white shirt, which made Levi grunt in disgust. Despite the dinner being an unofficial celebration, she still wore a simple but elegant dress tightened by a corseted bodice.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the great Capitan Levi,” she said with a drunken voice, swaying her head as she spoke. Despite the distance between them, Levi could still smell the alcohol and distinguish the redness tainting her cheeks.

“Taking advantage of the fact that you are not on duty tomorrow. I see,” he said with disdain.

“Oh, shut up, I do have to train, but a day is a day, right?” she giggled.

“Not very professional of you, now that you are part of the Survey Corps,” he replied, unbothered by her enjoyment.

Sophie pouted, “You are no fun.” And span around as if she were still dancing.

“I’m your superior now. Don’t expect special treatment,” he said crossing his arms while observing her blunt moves.

“Oh, but you see, I’m not that lonely, weak girl from the Underground anymore.” She moved closer to him and took another sip of the wine while fixing her eyes on him.

“And I am not that basement gentleman,” he replied firmly.

“Is that so?” She finished the rest of the drink in one big gulp and threw the empty bottle away. Levi tried to catch it and avoid leaving sharp crystals all over the street, but he failed to do so and the clinking sound of the glass against the road resonated in the alley.

Before he could scold her for such childish behavior, she gently grabbed both of his wrists and slowly pushed his body towards hers. He was now close enough to feel her alcohol-scented breath on his face.

“So, I’ve heard you are going on a very, very dangerous mission tomorrow,” said Sophie while staring at him.

He opened his mouth slightly before replying, tasting the whiff of the wine, “Yes.”

“Then tell me, Captain.” She eased the grip she had on his wrists and gently caressed the back of his hands. “Since you don’t want to promise me to come back alive, how likely is it that you’ll survive?”

The soft tone of her voice relaxed Levi’s initial shock and nervousness. He had also drunk at the party, and while his alcohol tolerance was way higher than Sophie’s, he couldn’t deny that it was helping him to loosen up. He wanted to believe that the booze was the only reason why he was not breaking contact with the new subordinate.

“Why do you care?” he asked in return, defiant.

She slowly bent her neck to the side. No matter who seductive she was trying to be, she could not mask the goofiness caused by the wine. For a moment, he glimpsed the young girl that had once lived with him.

“I was wondering whether this would be our last night together, Captain.” She said his rank with a playful voice, almost teasing him.

“Would that change anything?”

“Maybe.”

He knew the game she was playing. This time, they were not two teenagers in a dark basement, too nervous to take the first step. She was one of the most powerful and confident women in the Military. He was Humanity’s strongest soldier. And yet, something was still holding them back. None of them wanted to make a move, and forever be at the mercy of the other.

But he wanted to see how far the play would go. He moved his right hand away from Sophie’s touch and placed it on the back of her head to remove the metal needle fastening her bun. After all those years, she still hadn’t bothered to change her hairstyle, maybe as a tribute to her old self. Once the needle was gone, her long, wavy hair dropped elegantly over her shoulders and the moonlight shone on her copper highlights.

He admired her features for a moment, while she kept her dark eyes fixed on him. She responded to his provocation by fully holding his hand, intertwining their fingers together as she left a small breath escape. He was so close to her he could almost feel the warmth of her lips on his. Yet he attached the needle to his belt and used his now free hand to caress Sophie’s cheek, and she gently closed her eyes in response. He scanned her face; the forehead, the shape of her nose, the closed eyelids with rubbed off makeup, the blemishes and tiny freckles of her skin, the tender lips, and her gracious jawline.

He knew what he was doing was wrong, and that showing favoritism for one of his subordinates would only get him in trouble. He would never sacrifice his comrades for the safety of the woman who pushed him and his friends to join the Corps. And yet he wasn’t thinking about that now, he was only thinking about what the boy from the basement wanted to do at that moment. What he needed to keep going.

Suddenly, a loud clattering sound echoed from one of the nearby alleys. Sophie let out a small gasp of surprise and turned her head towards the origin of the crash, slightly pushing herself away from him. But he didn’t want it to end there, not by some random blast. He gently grabbed her chin and turned her face towards him. She opened her eyes in surprise and leaned forward, holding his hand stronger than before. They both opened their mouth slightly and approached one another in an almost synchronized way. As they slowly tasted each other’s lips, they melted into a kiss. It was a novel feeling for him, nevertheless, he felt relaxed, connecting with his old self as he wrapped his arms around the body of the girl, who despite getting him in so much trouble, could not get away from.

Maybe he had picked his poison.


	9. Martyr

_“This doesn’t change anything.”_

Sophie rubbed her forehead as she remembered the events of that night. How, despite the tenderness of the moment, Levi had abruptly broken their kiss and whispered those words. He was now on his way to retake Wall Maria like the hero he was, while her hangover had prevented her from bidding a proper farewell to the Scouts like she was supposed to. Maybe she was not as fit for the Corps as she had initially thought. But she also was not the esteemed woman everyone thought her to be.

She wrinkled her face as the sun shone on her way through Mitras. She didn’t regret her behavior that night, but she did regret feeling so heartbroken by Levi’s piercing words. Despite not having any grounds for it, she still hoped that the kiss would’ve meant something to him. His words indicated that it hadn’t, and maybe that was for the best, given that he was now her superior. In the end, not even Sophie was sure that it had changed anything for her either.

The loud noises from the people on the street made her grunt from the discomfort. It had been a while since she had drunk that much, and despite her prominent relationship with alcohol, she still had trouble managing the after-effects.

She opened the manor’s grand door clumsily, trying to avoid more sounds banging in her head. The darkness of the hall, in contrast with the annoying light from the street, eased her sight and headache. As she moved forward, she looked at the bottle of rum on the entrance sideboard. It was no coincidence that the alcohol was there; she always needed a drink before entering that dreadful building. She poured herself a glass and drank it one gulp. She slowly recovered some of her faculties, and the sound of her footsteps didn’t rumble in her head anymore, but the drink was still not able to mask her uncoordinated movements.

The numerous staff greeted her as she moved around the house, to which she simply responded with a smile. The hall was grand, filled with portraits and expensive vases decorating the impeccable white walls. A large, golden chandelier hanged from the painted ceiling, and the perfumed scent of its candles filled the air.

She climbed up the staircase, leaning on the marble handrail to avoid tripping due to her condition. She paused her walk for a moment and looked with despise at one of the bigger artworks hanging on the wall. The painting depicted none other than herself, covered in jewelry and dressed in an exquisite deep blue dress, sitting on a chair, with a calm and confident expression. She hated that painting. 

She finally arrived at the living room; a large, apricot-tainted area with elegant windows and multiple bookshelves populating the walls, centered with a dining table and a set of couches surrounding a fireplace. As she entered the suite, she moved towards the next carefully placed drinking spot, ignoring the male figure writing on the desk at the back of the room. Sophie reached out for a tiny bottle hidden in one of the cupboards, next to the dining table, and consumed it before hiding the vessel back in the cabinet. The figure finally decided to acknowledge her presence, without pausing his labor.

“Good to finally see you around the house, dear.”

Sophie scoffed and dropped herself on one of the larger couches, without even attempting to be graceful about her movements. “ _Dear_ , what an insult,” she thought as she lied down, facing the ceiling.

The man put its quill back in the inkpot and leaned back on the chair while crossing his arms, giving Sophie a judgmental look.

“You look like you had an interesting night, may I ask the name of the gentleman? Or was it one of the regular ones?” he said with a sarcastic tone. She turned around with upset, finally facing the man. His blue eyes were locked on her as he frowned with a tender, yet critical expression. Instead of simply looking, he was evaluating her. “Ah, so you chose the booze this time.”

“I thought we agreed on not doing this again,” said Sophie.

The man smirked at the comment and stroked his brown hair. He slowly stood up and approached the couch with an imposing gait, while still evaluating the lady. He was wearing an elegant sky-blue shirt matching his black trousers. One needn’t be a tailor to appreciate the quality of the attire. For him, being important was not enough, he also had to show it in every way possible. He was far too powerful and ambitious to be perceived as a regular businessman.

“I’ve heard that you are joining the Survey Corps.” Sophie’s first instinct was to ask him how he knew that information, only to realize that there was no point in the question. If walls had ears, they were his. “Alcohol is too slow of a killer for you? Have you decided to take a faster route instead?”

She didn’t respond to his provocation, and simply stared at him with menacing eyes. Still, the calmness of his expression made him look stoic and composed, whereas hers was just resentful. Instead of breaking the silence, he walked towards the cupboard and took out the small empty bottle, placing it on the table as if he were exhibiting the evidence of her state.

“It wasn’t as strong as I had hoped,” she said with disdain, referring to the drink. The man simply scoffed and walked back to the couch.

“Quit that Survey Corps nonsense, Sophie. Dying won’t change what you’ve done. What we’ve done.”

The man kneeled in front of her, and Sophie looked away in response. She didn’t want to face him. In the end, he was the vivid image of everything she had done.

“As if you cared about my death.”

He wrinkled his forehead, visibly hurt by the comment. And yet, he still answered with a calm voice, “If you truly wanted to repay your actions, you would’ve sold me off a long time ago. But you are too scared of the consequences. You still want to cling to the power that you’ve always been deprived of, and you think that turning into a martyr will make up for that.”

Sophie slowly lifted herself until she was sitting in an upright position, facing the man.

“I have the chance to make a difference now, to fix the damage I’ve done,” she said with determination.

“There is no point in being kind to a world that has never shown you kindness. Otherwise, you would still be a slave to the Military.”

She rubbed her face. She hated to admit it, but he was right; no matter how much she despised him, he knew her better than anyone. He knew that it had been her greedy soul that had led her to that point. If she had played a fair game from the beginning, she would’ve never become who she was. There would’ve been no manor with all kinds of luxurious objects, no fancy parties, no expensive dresses, no excessive amounts of alcohol, no power, no recognition.

Just like a flash, she remembered that night in the basement, back when she was just a lonely and dirty kid in the Underground. How despite her aggression, the gang took her in. How they had protected, fed, and befriended her. It was naïve to think that the ODM units and her skills hadn’t influenced their behavior, but they had still trusted her. She remembered the candlelight burning her cheek, the rusty knife, and Levi’s words: _I would never hurt you like that._

“You are wrong,” she finally said. The man took a deep breath and stood up to go back to his desk. A moment later, Sophie also stood up, but she headed for the door instead.

“No matter how hard you try, I know you don’t hate me. We are the same, after all,” said the man before resuming his writing, not even bothering to look at her.

She grabbed the handle but hesitated to open the door. She wanted to leave without even caring to reply to his provocation, but something in his words prevented her from doing so.

“Why are you so sure about that?”

The man looked up from the desk, silently staring at her for a moment as if he were deliberately tensing up the situation.

“Because you always come back.”


	10. Haze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. This is a bit of a gluegun chapter but bear with me because the next one is full of feels and revelations. Stay tuned!  
> And big thanks for the kudos! <3

She walked through the empty Underground streets, her footsteps resonating in the entire cave accompanied by the occasional water drip from the stalactites above. There was not another soul to be seen or heard, yet she still covered herself in a large black cape to avoid any kind of recognition, with the fabric swaying as she moved forward. She didn't know why she was there, or where was she headed, but she still felt like she was meant to be there.

She arrived at a dark, dead-end alley and distinguished a small figure at the back, crouched as if it were hiding from something, asking for help. She accelerated her step, but no matter how fast she walked, the end of the alley seemed further and further away, making the figure unreachable.

She suddenly heard a series of blasts behind her, like weapons firing. She turned around, frightened, trying to identify the source of the conflict. But the firing stopped, and she found herself looking at an empty city again. As she revolved to continue walking through the alley, she unexpectedly found herself at the end of it, with the crouched figure being right in front of her. She kneeled to get a better view, despite the darkness of the area, and the stranger slowly moved its head up to face the woman.

It was a young girl, with dark eyes and brown hair tied up in a bun, staring back at her with fear. Her pale and dangerously thin body made her look more like a corpse than a human. The woman gasped as she recognized who that was.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry," she said with a stutter as she stroked the kid's cold and bony cheek. The girl kept fixing her eyes on the woman, not even blinking. Suddenly, a thread of blood emerged from the side of her mouth and traveled down the chin, dripping on the floor. Before the woman could react, the kid slowly leaned to a side and then dropped dead.

The woman stood up with a gasp, horrified at the scene. She tried to ask for help, but the loud noise of a slam covered up her voice. She turned towards the source of the sound and found a grand, golden door encrusted on a wall. She approached the entrance and, with a tremorous grip, grabbed the door's handle and pushed it to enter.

Inside, she found herself trapped in darkness, with no trace of the door that had led her there. She felt her throat and chest tighten as she tried to breathe, making her panic. An invisible, female voice echoed, "you broke your promise."

"But…I wanted to be free...and live above," thought the woman, unable to speak due to her heavy breathing.

"You promised," rumbled the voice.

Out of thin air, a small area got illuminated by an invisible light source, revealing a mountain-like structure taller than her. She approached it with slow steps, trying to calm herself on the way.

The mountain was formed of piled-up bodies. There were more than she could count, but she managed to distinguish some of them: the carpenter, the deserter, the blond gang leader, the redhead girl with the pigtails, militaries, nobles, underground inhabitants. No matter their age, origin, or morals, they were there.

Another illuminated stack in the darkness appeared next to them. This one did not have corpses, but rather weapons and machinery, as if it were showing both the victims and evidence of her crimes. She kneeled in front of the piles with a horrified expression, grabbing her head with both hands as she tried to scream between struggling breaths. The stack filled with armory started to increase in size spontaneously. Now it was made not only out of weaponry, but also golden artifacts, jewels, paintings, and empty alcohol bottles.

Unable to bear the sight of it for any longer, she covered her eyes, begging the torture to stop while tears streamed down her face. Suddenly, she felt someone in front of her. Despite not knowing who it was, its presence calmed her down and so she slowly moved her hands away. She looked up and saw Commander Erwin, kneeling with a calm and gentle expression. Next to him stood Hange and Levi, smiling at her.

"I don't deserve it…I betrayed you all. I'm a traitor and a coward," she cried.

On the spur of the moment, two Titans appeared behind the Corps' leaders. They were just like her mother had described them to her; tall, monstrous beings. Before she could warn the leaders, the monsters grabbed Hange and Erwin and brought them to their mouths. They screamed in pain and fear, unable to escape the grip of the Titans' massive hands. She tried to avoid the sight, crawling back as an attempt to run away before realizing that those tall devils were not the only threat. Next to them, a man wearing the antipersonnel gear and a gray pork pie hat had grabbed Levi by his neck, threatening to shoot him as the Captain struggled to breathe. She knew that man was no other than Kenny Ackerman.

Powered up with hate, she ran towards Kenny, punching him in the face to free Levi from his grip. Kenny fell from the impact, and so she placed herself on top of him and savagely punched his face before grabbing one of the guns and shooting him in the head. She could feel her face and hands covered in blood, and the loudness of her heartbeat resonating in her head.

She turned towards Levi, who looked at the scene with a shocked expression. She quickly stood up and hugged him, caressing his hair while whispering apologies and regrets, but the man remained frozen. She didn't feel any warmth from the embrace, nor comfort.

"You killed them," he said before pushing her away. Kenny's blood was now all over his clothes.

"No, no! I was protecting you. I swear!" she cried.

"You were protecting yourself," he said before disappearing into the darkness.

The woman fell on her knees and cried. There were no more Titans, just her surrounded by corpses and blood of both comrades and enemies. Another light appeared, this time on the blue-eyed man that had been the source of all her sins, standing up in front of her and gazing at the crying woman with a pitiful look.

"This is all your fault," she screamed at him.

"You did this, dear" -he kneeled in front of her- "remember, 'till death do us part."

A knocking sound woke up Sophie, who quickly incorporated herself letting out a small scream. She tried to come back to her senses, but her heart was still racing, causing her shortness of breath. She wasn't in a dark room in the Underground anymore, she was in the master bedroom at the Mitras manor. A ray of light, breaking through the red curtains covering the window, illuminated a small area in front of her, while her bed remained in the shadows. She rubbed her sweaty forehead, attempting to ease the headache, while her heartbeat and breathing returned to a normal rhythm. Once she felt steady enough, she looked around the area. She was alone on the bed and, judging by the unwrinkled state of the bedsheets next to her, she had also slept alone. There was a mannequin on the other side of the room, wearing a long black dress. The clothing acted as a grim reminder that she had a funeral to attend that day.

A man entered the room, but Sophie refused to acknowledge him. He did not greet her, instead, he simply walked towards her bedside. She reached out to her nightstand, messing one of its drawer's content with uncoordinated motions. Anxiously, she tried to find some of her designated alcohol doses in an attempt to bear with the aftermath of the nightmare. Before she could get her hands on any booze, the man sat next to her and slipped a hand into his fine jacket's pocket to retrieve a small flask. He handed it to her with care, observing the woman's wretched state with his icy blue eyes.

"Thank you," she said, accepting the offer. The response had been more of a customary sentence than actual gratitude.

"You need to play your part today. You know that, don't you?" he said while watching her drink all the content of the flask in an instant. "We are on the tightrope now that there is a new Queen."

She nodded slightly. She actually didn't agree with any of his plans, but they were both too much on the deep end to blow up everything and spend the rest of their lives in prison. Or worse.

"I don't want to do this anymore…he was my friend," she said with ache. After all, that dream had been far too real. He sat next to her and gently rubbed off one of the tears on her cheek. There was no regard or care in his touch. He simply had seen a mistake that needed to be corrected.

"You are not a traitor; you are a survivor."

"We both know we are way past survival."

"And that is why we shouldn't give it all up now," he said before standing up again. He opened the curtains, allowing the sunlight to swallow the room. Sophie wrinkled her face, trying to get used to the ambiance. "Once the new government is settled and our affairs are locked up, we can pretend as if nothing had happened and move on. Until then, you still need to play the dutiful tin soldier." He turned around and looked at her, with the same determination as always. "Maybe joining the Corps is not that bad of an idea after all, if that means the Military will stay away from us."

She didn't say anything. For him, everything was part of a plan. He didn't see her joining the Corps as altruism. He only saw it as a motif to please the Military and prevent them from looking at his endeavors. His own benefit was the only reason why he tolerated any of her questionable actions in the first place.

Sophie finally stood up and walked towards the mannequin. As she passed her fingers through the delicate black fabric, she wished for another drink so she could withstand the day she had ahead.

* * *

Levi observed his reflection on the mirror and adjusted the fit of his jacket. He felt stupid caring for his appearance when he was about to bury the 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith. He had been his superior and role model, and the main reason he had for fighting for humanity's freedom. But most of all, he had been his friend.

For the other militaries, it always seemed like the heartless Captain was used to seeing his comrades die. In fact, he suffered just as much as the rest; he just did not show it so easily. Despite knowing that Erwin's life would be at risk from the moment he set foot on Wall Maria, he was still unable to process the events of that day. Not only that, but he had also failed to kill the Beast Titan, which was the reason Erwin had died in the first place. Now that he was gone, Levi did not know what the future of the Corps would hold, except that he had to kill that furry monster.

He thought he had found something else to turn to in Sophie, but after coming back from the mission she had not contacted him at all. He figured she had probably forgotten everything from that night due to the alcohol, and he would be relieved if that were the case. In the end, he had acted improperly for his rank. Despite denying it at first, the kiss had meant something to him, as he found himself thinking about every detail; the taste of the wine on her lips, the sound of the river, the moonlight shining on her skin…However, he couldn't let her know. He couldn't risk everything for a woman who had probably been too drunk that night to make a wise choice.

His tired face showcased the lack of rest in the past few days. After the events of Shiganshina, he had to deal not only with Erwin's death but also with all the revelations from Eren's basement. Hange and Historia were still deciding on how to make the information public to the rest of the population within the Walls. There was no time for grieving, and even less for silly romance, not when an attack from the outside world was imminent.

He left the room and found Hange waiting for him in the corridor. They looked at each other in silence, and despite Hange's eyepatch covering their damaged eye, he could still feel the pain in their gaze. In the end, they had both lost Erwin and Moblit. Without a single exchange between them, they got in the carriage waiting outside the Survey Corps HQ.

They arrived at the graveyard, filled with government officers, militaries, nobles, and peasants. It was probably the largest crowd there had ever been at an official funeral. Despite the success of the Wall Maria mission, there was a grim atmosphere. It was a solemn ceremony, filled with over-the-top speeches from the Queen, Commander Zachary, and family mourners. Despite how much he valued his subordinate's lives, and especially Erwin's, he had always hated these performative memorials.

He separated himself from the attendees and waited until everyone had paid their respects at the gravestones, so he could finally get some alone time to mourn the Commander in peace. As the crowd dissipated, he recognized a familiar face on the other side.

"Of course, she is here," he thought.

Sophie was alone, watching the coming and going of people at Erwin's grave with a sad expression. Even though Levi had not interacted with her at the Corps, he still knew that she had been supporting all of Erwin's new tactics in terms of equipment. He believed the Commander had considered her as some sort of ally. However, Levi found himself recalling Erwin's question; _Do you trust her?_

He shook his head and snapped out of the memory. Erwin had been a careful man, and after the coup, Levi figured that his concerns about her were only to ensure a steady future for the Corps. But regardless of her do-gooder motivations, Levi didn't want her to go into the field. He had just lost Erwin, and he couldn't fathom the possibility of losing her now that they had finally reunited and made amends. For so many years, and despite working so close to one another, he had avoided any contact with her to prevent exactly that. She was the only person from his past that he had managed to not drag into his life of death and misery.

Once he fulfilled Erwin's promise, there would be no more reasons for him to keep fighting. When that happened, he wanted her to be alive. He wanted to have something to come back to.

He considered accompanying Sophie and telling her about the mission firsthand, to explain to her why now, more than ever, she shouldn't join the Corps. He knew that the right thing to do was to distance himself from her, instead of assuming that she remembered anything at all from that night. But perhaps, after all the events of that week, his emotions were finally cracking his heart of steel.

As he debated over his feelings, he saw a tall, brown-haired man approaching Sophie. He had never seen him before and assumed him to be one of her butlers. But suddenly, he surrounded her with his arm, and she gently rested her head on his shoulder.

For a moment, Levi ran out of breath and felt his heart drop to the floor. He was confused, hurt, and disappointed at the same time. Had she played him? Had that kiss been nothing more than some affair to her? Did she even remember what had happened that night?

"Talk about a power couple, right?" said Hange, suddenly appearing next to him. The sentence was supposed to poke fun at the distant pair, yet their tone was serious.

"Huh?" responded Levi, confused not only at the sight but also Hange's words.

"You should listen to gossip more often; you always learn a thing or two."

"Just who the hell is he?" He tried to ignore Hange's comment to focus on the mysterious man, but their words echoed Erwin's.

"Are you so short you live under a rock now? He is Asbel Barnes, the businessman from Mitras. I hope I don't have to remind you who Sophie is…"

"I know who she is," he replied with disdain, trying not to snap at their sneer. It was so common for both to mock each other that not even Erwin's funeral was an exception.

"Well, they have been married for a few years now. It was the talk of the town for a while. How did you not know? Weren't you friends with her or something?"

Levi ignored the questions. His head was still stuck at the beginning of the sentence: _married for a few years_. He had been played. He knew Sophie was a magnet for problems, but he had never expected her to bring him straight into one. He was furious and disappointed that he had been so easy to fool, especially after he had risked so much that night. He had tried to convince himself that the kiss had just been an old teenage fantasy, but after the mission, he had finally come to terms with the fact that it had meant more than that to him, that she was something to look forward to after fighting for so long, now that Erwin was gone. Only for it to end like that.

Sophie made eye contact with him. His expression remained impassive, but hers showed surprise as she quickly moved away from her partner. Her husband looked at her confused, and they both exchanged some words, while Levi continued to observe them from a distance. The man ended up leaving, without even acknowledging the Captain's judgmental gaze. Sophie was now alone, rubbing her forehead as she nervously looked all around, except at him.

Erwin's words echoed in his mind again, swallowing the rest of his thoughts; _Do you trust her? I agree that she has a notorious reputation. Do you trust her? Do you believe she could easily switch sides again? Do you trust her?_

And now she was there, at his friend's funeral, flaunting her relationship while he was left to watch and sustain. He was not someone to start unnecessary fights, but he did have pride. She liked trouble indeed. But now she was playing with fire.


	11. Candlelight II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In order to mentally prepare for this Chapter, I listened to unhealthy amounts of Lana del Rey, Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers. I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I did writing it!

Sophie left the scene with an almost spectral aura as if she were luring Levi to follow her. There was no exchange of words. A simple look between them across a weeping crowd was enough.

He was staring at the entrance of the graveyard’s chapel. It was a small and round stone building, like a miniature of one of the walls, with a roof composed of mossy tiles. The day had been sunny so far, but as he found himself wavering to open the door, he felt a cold breeze brush against his face. His hand was on the gate, but he lacked the force to push. He was angry and hurt, but the gloom of the funeral prevented him from getting carried away. He wanted to give in to his feelings, but he didn’t allow himself to do so. 

He took a deep breath and pushed the door, hearing the wood’s creak resonate inside the chapel.

She was there, observing the inscription on the wall opposite to the door, which depicted the three walls with their corresponding pennants. Nothing was fascinating about it, just a simple carving on a stone panel, yet she seemed so mesmerized by it that she did not bother to turn around and acknowledge Levi as he entered the building.

An air current from the outside wiggled the flames of all the small, white candles surrounding the circular contour of the chapel. Levi gently closed the door to prevent them from getting extinguished. Despite the coldness outside and the stone structure of the building, the little candles had managed to create a rather pleasant warmth inside.

He moved a few steps closer to Sophie in silence, observing her silhouette as she continued to have her back to Levi. He could tell that, despite the simple shape of the dress, it was an expensive one, judging by how the candlelight shone on its folds. As always, her hair was in a bun, but with no needle holding it together this time. He knew why.

He wanted to confront her at that exact moment. But first, he felt like he had to deliver the news regarding their promise and finally be done with it.

“Kenny is dead,” said Levi with firmness.

“I’ve heard,” she replied without turning around. She rubbed her arms with her hands for a moment as if she were trying to calm herself down. “Did you ask him about my father?”

“I did. He said he didn’t remember him,” he answered without hesitation. He didn’t want to sugarcoat it, so he reported the information like the soldier he was. “I guess that’s what happens when you kill a lot of people. At some point, you lose count.”

She finally turned around, revealing a weeping face with taints of red on her cheeks and nose tip. The watery eyes made her dark iris gleam like crystal. She wore no makeup, and so the tiredness and sadness were clearly visible. Despite his initial anger, the acid remark on Kenny’s pursuits felt wrong to say to an afflicted lady.

“Thank you,” she said with a broken voice before wiping away some of the water traces under her eyes.

His expression remained impassible at the sight, but he could not help but feel uneasy about the situation. It would be selfish of him to continue torturing her like that, and so he decided to detach himself from her as much as possible before confronting her about the dinner. 

He slid a hand into his jacket’s inner pocket and grabbed the metal needle that he had removed from her hair that night. He clenched his hand against it, thinking about how he had brought it with him to the mission as a token of her presence. A symbol of what he had chosen to come back to once everything was over. He found it ironic that he had to give up both Erwin and Sophie on the same day.

He slowly handed the artifact to her. She approached him and looked at it with a long, melancholic gaze.

“You dropped this at the Survey Corps dinner—”

“I believe you seized it before you kissed me,” she interrupted him without a trace of doubt in her voice. Despite the sadness in her aspect, she was not acting like a weeper anymore. She reached out to his hand and grabbed the needle, slowly sliding it away from his fingers, but without any actual touch between them. She proceeded to insert it in her updo. “We are in a holy building. Let’s be respectful and not lie to each other here.”

“I didn’t think you’d remember. “

“Would you prefer that?” she answered, defiant.

“Yes, given your status.” He looked at her hands, but there were no rings on any of her fingers. She hadn’t even bothered to change her surname. “I wouldn’t have guessed you were married. None of your letters came with a wedding invitation.”

She seemed perplexed at his comment, “I thought even the Titans knew me as the big spender engineer who sleeps with half of Mitras and has a thousand empty alcohol bottles under her bed.”

He frowned as she admitted that this had not been her first time committing adultery. He was hurt, but also not surprised, given the easiness that she had shown that night.

“I couldn’t care less for whatever gossip you classy snobs entertain yourself with, but I’m not a homewrecker.”

She scoffed, “There is nothing to wreck.”

“I don’t care. I failed my rank, and you failed your husband. Let’s just blame this on the alcohol and move on.” He adjusted his jacket, getting ready to leave the scene and forget about her forever. That would’ve been the wise decision.

“Is that what you really want?” she said with urgency as if she were trying to keep him from leaving. Levi crossed his arms and looked at the floor in silence. Throughout his life on the surface, he had only considered what Erwin wanted, what was best for humanity, and what the Survey Corps needed. He had barely paid attention to his desires. Even when he had attempted to prevent Erwin from leading the mission, he had ended up following his command anyway. Her question reminded him that Erwin wasn’t there anymore and that he had to follow his own path now.

“You said no lies, right?” asked Levi, looking at Sophie again. She nodded in response and straightened her back like she was about to protect herself from something she did not want to hear. “Do you love him?”

“Do you think I would’ve kissed you that night if I did?”

“Well, you had a bit too much wine. Maybe you got carried away.”

“We already established that alcohol was not to blame. Unless you want to.” Levi took the comment as an insinuation that he wouldn’t have kissed her if she had been sober. He decided to let the provocation slide.

“If you don’t love him, then why are you still with him?”

“Because I used to love him. However, in the inner Walls, marriage is like a contract. One cannot break a contract with a businessman so easily.”

“What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t as lucky as you. I couldn’t—prove myself the way you did. For the people at Mitras, I was just a filthy slut from the Underground that had managed to get a job at one of the most prestigious divisions without attending any of their fancy schools. When you are so used to people looking down on you, and you finally find someone above who doesn’t—someone who even finds you special, you do anything for them.” Levi recalled her words from their reunion at Ehrmich. _I was the good girl. I just needed someone to tell me that I was doing the right thing, even if it was a lie._ She paused to take a deep breath and got closer to him, “You have always been powerful, Levi. There is strength within you. After being belittled for so long, I wanted that power too, so did Asbel. We were both willing to do anything for it.”

Her tone showcased confidence, but her expression remained vulnerable. Levi looked at her in silence, remembering all the letters she had sent him. He had promised himself to not regret his choices or to dwell on the past, but for a moment he wondered what would’ve happened if he had reached out instead of protecting her from his imminent death. In the end, he had done that so that she could live a better life with someone else, instead of mourning him. She had followed that path, but instead of looking after her, he had failed her. He had entered the chapel hurt and disappointed, ready to break off all ties with her. But now that he had finally learned what her life had been like, he felt sympathy and even a bit of regret.

“You must have felt very lonely,” he said with softness, looking down to hide his disheartened expression.

“It wasn’t just loneliness…it was also…guilt. No money, lust, or alcohol can cover that up.”

He looked at her again, confused, “I told you I didn’t blame you for what happened to the others.”

She stared at him in silence for a moment, like there was an invisible rope tightened around her neck that prevented her from talking. He got closer, trying to let her know that she was safe with him, but she crossed her arms and looked away, biting her lower lip in an act of nervousness.

“Levi, that night at the den…Why me?” she said with hesitation. He was visibly confused at her question, but as he opened his mouth to ask for clarification, she continued, “There were…much prettier girls in the Underground.”

He let out a small breath in surprise, feeling his lungs and heart tightening for a second. He could sense his entire body tense up and relax as he remembered all their time together in the Underground. It was crushing for him to see that she still didn’t know how much he cared for her. All the feelings and thoughts from his teenage years rushed into his mind as if a switch inside of him had been triggered, turning him from Captain Levi Ackerman to simply Levi.

“Because you were strong,” he said in a heartbeat. Sophie scoffed at the comment, which released some of the tension in her face.

“I got beat up almost every day. Because of my big mouth, you were always rushing to get me out of some brawl,” she said, stroking a strand of her hair and smirking at the memories while her cheeks turned red.

“I thought you were doing it on purpose,” he replied with a playful voice, happy to see a hint of a smile on her face, despite his initial resentment. “But I don’t mean that kind of strength. You had something to fight for. You wanted to fix that gear no matter how much it cost or how long it took. You could’ve just quit and become a criminal like the rest of us. But I remember seeing you day and night doing things none of us could understand. When something didn’t work like you wanted to, you didn’t give up. Instead, you stayed longer and worked harder until it did.”

“I was just…fulfilling my father’s wish. And I broke my mum’s promise because of it.”

“Now that I’ve been outside, I can see why she deserted, but the Underground was not a way to live either. You deserved something better than that. And as for your dad…” He clenched his fist, remembering everything that had happened at Wall Maria, his choice to sacrifice Erwin and his dream, and his promise to kill the Beast Titan. “Back then, I admired that you had a goal. Something that kept you moving forward, even if it wasn’t your own dream. It wasn’t until I met Erwin that I understood what that was. And I also decided to follow his path as my own.”

Suddenly, she grabbed his tensed-up fist, and moved it towards her, gently passing her fingers through his palm to release the grip. Once it was fully extended and relaxed, she used both of her hands to cover it. He blinked in surprise, but as the warmth of her skin passed onto his, he felt calm.

“I’m sorry. You must’ve really loved him,” there was no jealousy in her voice or gaze, just empathy, and serenity as she caressed his wrist with her thumb.

“I—”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”

They remained in silence, with the flickering candlelight accompanying their breaths as they continued to stare into one another. There was no rush, nothing for him to expect. They were simply enjoying the moment, frozen in time. He tried reading her expression to decipher what was on her mind, but he could only feel that she was still holding something back. Unfortunately, he knew that time was not truly frozen and that someone could very well open the door at any moment.

“Why did you ask me that? About the other girls, I mean.”

She looked down for a moment, “Because I’m afraid I’m not that like that anymore.”

“True, you are prettier now.” She blushed at his comment, just like the girl he once knew would. He still didn’t understand why she was holding back, but he also did not want to pressure her. For once after all those crazy weeks fighting the government and the Titans, he felt at peace.

“No, I mean…” she paused. He wanted to hug her, tell her that everything would be alright. But just as she was not that young reckless girl, he wasn’t a protective thug either. His success as a Captain had also depended on his ability to distance himself from his emotions. That was not something he could easily get rid of.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”

She moved her hands away from his, “No, you don’t understand…I…” she babbled. “You would never forgive me.”

“I forgave you about Kenny.”

She rubbed her forehead and her breathing got more intense. Levi tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she moved away with a guilty expression on her face.

“Why did you? He killed your friends because of me,” she said, distressed.

“If you hadn’t made those guns, someone else would’ve. I told you I’ve made wrong choices and killed innocent people too. What matters is to keep going forward instead of regretting them.” She did not seem satisfied with his answer, shaking her head as if he did not understand what she was going through. “Isn’t that why you want to join the Corps?”

“It’s…more complex than that.”

“Your death won’t change anything. Humanity and the Corps need you inside, Sophie.” _And I need you,_ he thought to himself. His military mindset prevented him from saying it out loud. “You have that gift. You can create things that others can only dream of. Don’t waste it against some big ass monster.”

She was still far from him, looking away whenever possible. His words were unable to pass through the invisible wall she had put between them. He did not know how to get closer, how to show how her how valuable she was, both to Humanity and himself. He never hesitated when fighting, why was he staggering now?

The door suddenly opened, and Sophie’s husband entered along with the cold wind, blowing off some of the candles close to the entrance. Levi managed to get a better look on him: he was tall, with blue eyes and brown short hair, wearing a black fitted suit.

“Ah, there you are, dear,” he said, looking at Sophie before acknowledging Levi’s presence. “Forgive me, I don’t think we have been introduced before. Asbel Barnes,” he said as he extended his hand. Levi frowned, but concurred to his proposal and shook his hand.

“Captain Levi, from the Special Operations Squad,” he said his full rank, trying to make up for the height difference between them.

“Humanity’s strongest soldier! What a pleasure,” he smiled. “I will feel much more relieved knowing my wife will be under your command, now that the math and the blueprints have become a tad boring to her.”

“I was just telling her that she is not fit for these missions. I hope she reconsiders her choice,” Levi looked back on Sophie, who sighed in response. 

“I agree, it would be a shame if such a smart woman ended up being eaten. If a Titan were to absorb her intelligence it would be the end of us for sure!” The man laughed, while Levi and Sophie remained in complete silence, observing him with disapproval after the tasteless comment. He cleared his throat to break the ice and looked at Sophie again. “We have to leave, dear.”

“Of course,” she said with disdain, moving towards him. Asbel offered his arm to escort her outside, but she swiftly moved away from him and exited the chapel. She didn’t look at Asbel, nor Levi. There was no unspoken goodbye with her gaze.

Asbel looked at Levi again, “I would love to chat more with such a skilled fighter as yourself. Perhaps you would like to join us sometime for tea at our Mitras residency?”

Levi frowned, surprised and uncomfortable at his offer, “I’m very busy.”

The man smiled, despite the harshness of Levi’s response, “Of course. I will still extend an invitation in case you change your mind. Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet you,” he said as he opened the door, which allowed Levi to distinguish Sophie’s silhouette waiting outside. Before Asbel let go of the gate, he looked at Levi again, “Oh, and I’m sorry for your loss.”

The door shut, extinguishing some of the remaining candles’ flames.

* * *

“I thought you liked them taller,” said Asbel, breaking the silence between him and Sophie as the carriage brought them back to their manor. She didn’t reply, instead, she kept looking through the small window. “You never told me that you used to know him. See? Lately, I’ve had to find out everything about you from others…It would be easier if you just talked to me.”

“What do you want?” she said, irritated at his remarks.

“For you to be careful. That guy was extremely close to Erwin, who, in case you have forgotten, destroyed the government and killed Reiss, and with them, all our power and connections.” Asbel sighed as Sophie kept ignoring him, but he continued to raise his concerns. “You were supposed to be loyal to the Corps, not sleep with the Captain.”

She finally faced him with a furious stare, “I’m not sleeping with him.”

“I don’t care who you share your bed with, as long as it doesn’t get us into trouble. I will not act like the devil you want me to be. I know we’ve had…difficulties, but I’m on your side. Remember that.” Asbel took out a small flask from his jacket and offered it to Sophie. She stared at the container for a minute, hesitating on whether to accept his offer. With a quick and swift move, she grabbed the flask and took a big gulp before handing it back to Asbel. She always had trouble refusing the booze when he was present.

“If you were on my side, you would let me go. But you’d rather deal with gossip than lose your position.”

“No, I’d rather deal with gossip about my smart but troubled wife than be hanged.” Despite the concealed insult, he reached out for her hand, gently grabbing it to bring it to his lips and kiss it. She was disgusted but did not oppose it. He was right about not being the devil she wanted him to be. He had made sure to never act like one with her.

* * *

Levi waited inside the chapel, thinking of everything that had been said and done. Sophie was still hiding something, and the uncomfortable kindness of Asbel disturbed him.

When he finally went outside, Hage was waiting for him leaning against one of the trees, bored.

“Oh finally, please don’t tell me you were playing Seven minutes in heaven at Erwin’s funeral,” they said greeting Levi as he approached them.

“Were you spying on us? Is that how lonely you are?” he responded with mockery. Hange simply shrugged and they walked back to the carriage. The somber aura between them at the beginning of the day had now disappeared, but none wanted to comment on the funeral.

Once inside the vehicle, Hange changed their expression to a more serious one, “Hey, I know this is sudden, but I’ve been through some of…Erwin’s files.”

Levi looked at them. It did feel sudden that Hange had already been through—and probably made a mess out of—the Commander’s files. But after Shinganshina, they needed as much transparency as possible. Especially now that they were about to announce the truth about the outside world.

“And? Did he write any mean comments about us?”

Hange did not punch back at his mockery, which made Levi realize that this was no regular conversation.

“Have you ever heard the name of Cheria Oswell?”

“No. But I don’t know that many people in general, why?”

“I couldn’t find any records of her in the Engineering or Logistics divisions. She doesn’t seem to have worked for the government…”

“Hey, you are mumbling again. Why do you care about that woman anyway? Do you have a crush on her or something?”

“She was the one who signed the blueprints for Rodd Reiss’s chapel reconstruction.”


End file.
